CLINICAL HIGHLIGHTS

We are committed to stewardship in the communities we serve by providing high-quality and cost-effective patient care. We are fully engaged on all fronts with the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System (UI Health) to expand clinical programs. Our commitment to addressing community needs goes well beyond the traditional service role of an academic medical center. We advocate for reducing health disparities, which requires a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to the inequities in healthcare access and quality of care.

RECRUITMENT, REORGANIZATION & RESULTS

To maintain and enhance the clinical mission, the DOM appointed Dr. Ece Mutlu to lead the division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Dr. Adam Mikolajczyk was appointed program director of the Internal Medicine Residency program and Dr. Anne Polick was appointed deputy director of the Internal Medicine Residency program. Division chiefs oversee the clinical activities, education, and scholarly activities of their division. Internal Medicine leadership oversee the Residency Training program and resident activities.

The DOM regularly conducts outpatient meetings with clinic medical directors, clinic directors, staff, division chiefs, and DOM business administrators. These meetings have resulted in the coordination of activities among the DOM clinics, improvements in services and the formation of new clinical programs which we invite you to learn more about within our division profile pages.

New Interim Chief Medical Officer At Ui Health

In June of 2022, Dr. Jonathan Radosta, associate professor in the Division of Academic Internal Medicine was appointed Interim Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics. Dr. Radosta has served UI Health in a number of leadership roles focused on improving patient care and quality, patient and physician satisfaction, and clinical financial performance, including as the Clinic Medical Director for Primary Care Plus/Internal Medicine and the Senior Medical Director for Managed Care. As Co-Chief Medical Information Officer for Epic Implementation, Dr. Radosta spearheaded changes across the UI Health enterprise to improve the patient experience and clinical workflows through a new unified electronic health record and financial system. Dr. Radosta completed his residency at the University of Illinois Chicago and served as Chief Resident. His clinical interests include quality improvement and population health research. Dr. Radosta is the Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs in the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He has been instrumental in the leadership of many initiatives aimed at substantial process improvements and infrastructure activation.

Presidential Medallion

University of Illinois President Tim Killeen honored seven UI Health leaders with the Presidential Medallion, an award given to recognize individuals who support and bring distinction to the University of Illinois System, as part of the system’s COVID-19 response. The Presidential Medallion is the highest honor that the system president can bestow. Killeen honored leaders of clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines at UIC, which were the first trials conducted in Chicago, and UI Health’s mass-vaccination effort that inoculated University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics staff, patients, students, faculty and, so far, tens of thousands of members of the public. Three of the seven awardees are members of the DOM. Dr. Susan Bleasdale, chief quality officer, Dr. Jerry Krishnan, associate vice chancellor for Population Health Sciences, and Dr. Richard Novak, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases.

New Specialty Care Building

A new state-of-art Specialty Care Building (SCB) on the UI Health campus opened to patients in September 2022. Located in the heart of the Illinois Medical District, the SCB is a new home for expert care and same-day surgery. The building includes six floors of patient care space with eight operating rooms and 24 pre-/post-surgery bays. It also includes 182 clinic rooms for Gastroenterology (GI), Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Transplant, Urology care, and a pharmacy. The building is projected to serve 600 to 800 patients per day and perform 8,000+ surgeries and 8,000+ GI procedures annually.

The new building features new technology and functionality for an improved patient experience, from check-in kiosks to valet parking and intuitive wayfinding.

55TH & PULASKI HEALTH COLLABORATIVE

The UI Health 55th & Pulaski Health Collaborative provides comprehensive healthcare services for the residents of Chicago's Gage Park and West Elsdon communities. The TARGET Health Collaborative Partnership brings together seven community partners committed to transforming the health of these neighborhoods by expanding care services, improving patient outcomes, and reducing health disparities.

This collaboration has increased access to specialty care provided by the Department of Medicine in Cardiology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Oncology, Pulmonology, and Rheumatology as well as care coordination to ensure adequate support through the care journey.

RECOGNITION FOR COMMITTMENT TO HIGH-QUALITY CARDIOVASCULAR CARE

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recognized UI Health for our commitment to providing effective stroke and heart failure care using the most advanced procedures available. UI Health was awarded the Get With The Guidelines®–Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Advanced Therapy — the highest level of recognition from the AHA/ASA — and UI Health was awarded the Get With the Guidelines® — Target: Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. This is the sixth consecutive year UI Health has received the top stroke award and the fourth consecutive year it has achieved the heart failure designation. UI Health also was recognized and awarded the Get With The Guidelines® Resuscitation Bronze Award.

The Cardiology program at UI Health was awarded the Mission: Lifeline® NSTEMI Gold and Mission: Lifeline® STEMI Receiving Silver awards for meeting care criteria guidelines for ST-elevation myocardial infraction (STEMI), a serious type of heart attack, and non-ST-elevation myocardial infraction (NSTEMI), which involve blockage of the coronary arteries.

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

The University of Illinois Hospital was featured in hospital rankings from U.S. News & World Report. Six service areas were included in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2021–2022 list. The following services were listed as “High Performing”: Heart Failure, Heart Attack, Kidney Failure, Stroke, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Pneumonia.