While talks of hospital closings are generating protests around
Los Angeles and the debate about universal health care and the
quality of medical service continues, a physician organization at
UCLA has been ranked as one of the top in the state.
The Integrated Healthcare Association recently identified the
UCLA Medical Group as one of the top 10 physician organizations in
Southern California and one of the top 20 in the entire state.
The ratings are based on patient satisfaction, provision of
recommended care, and investment in information technologies that
support quality care. Information was also gathered from patient
surveys.
The UCLA Medical Group is comprised of faculty from the UCLA
Medical Center but is a separate entity from the hospital. Dr.
Samuel A. Skootsky, medical director of the UCLA Medical Group,
said they were proud to be recognized for the work they do.
“We think we do a good job. It’s nice to get some
positive feedback,” he said.
Skootsky said one area the group focuses on is making sure
patients are getting all of the services Medical they need. They
send out mailings to remind patients to come in for key services
like mammograms, immunizations, chlamydia, blood sugar and
cholesterol tests, and appropriate asthma treatments.
Though the UCLA Medical Group and other organizations have shown
themselves to be among the best in the country, there are still
nation-wide health care concerns to be addressed such as the
sharing of medical records.
Shelley Pearson, director of ancillary services for the UCLA
Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center, which sees 500 to
600 patients a day, said the center is having success with its
switch to having medical records available electronically.
“With an electronic version, records are better protected.
We control all of the computer access. There are a number of
security messages in place so that only the person who’s
allowed gets to see it,” she said.
Pearson also said having electronic records enables the Ashe
Center to compare data about conditions such as hypertension and
diabetes more easily. She said it also makes it easier to release
students’ records when requested. Each year, 70 percent of
UCLA students come in for service at least once. Over the course of
a four-year education, 95 percent of students will come in at least
once.
Pearson said the Ashe Center works to increase patient
satisfaction by allowing them to sign up for appointments online,
saving time once they reach the center. Patients also have the
option of using self check-in stations if they do not feel
comfortable sharing their information with receptionists.
Pearson says the “luxury” of exclusively serving the
UCLA community allows the center to focus its efforts.
Another concern many have is the effect the length of nursing
shifts has on the quality of care patients receive.
“The doctors don’t run the hospitals ““
it’s the nurses,” said Kristine Tapia, a third-year
psychology and Asian American studies student whose mother has been
a nurse for 25 years.
Tapia, who is considering a career in nursing herself, said
she’s seen her mother do 36-hour shifts because no one was
able to take over for her.
“How are (patients) going to get good health care if their
nurse has been on duty for 36 hours?” she said.