A Never-Ending Commitment to Care
UT Southwestern’s health care heroes provided exceptional patient care despite the ups and downs of working during a pandemic.
The launch or expansion of unique and lifesaving clinical programs carried on, regardless of the challenges of COVID-19. Harnessing technology, new programs were launched using a type of ultrasound wave to perform noninvasive brain surgery as well as augmented reality to enhance shoulder surgery. UTSW also initiated plans for a new state psychiatric hospital, William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital added a third tower, and construction proceeded on a new regional medical center in southern Dallas.
All the while, recognition of the Medical Center’s excellence shone through. Achievements for outstanding patient care included renewal of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center’s comprehensive designation, redesignation of the nursing program as a Magnet organization, and the ranking of UT Southwestern as the No. 1 hospital in DFW for the fifth year in a row by U.S. News & World Report.
Determined to defeat COVID-19
As virus surges rose and fell over the year, UT Southwestern’s health care heroes kept pace and provided the most exceptional and humane care possible for those with COVID-19 and other medical issues. The Medical Center became a leader in vaccination efforts while also providing innovative care for those suffering long-term symptoms of the virus. Unique research related to COVID-19 enabled the region to keep pace with virus growth trends, track new variants, and learn about possible cardiac-related risks.
Proactive vaccination works
Vaccinating UTSW health care workers resulted in an immediate and notable reduction of positive COVID-19 cases among employees, reducing the number of required isolations and quarantines by more than 90%, according to data from UT Southwestern that was published in early 2021 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Tracking the variants
Mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus dominated news headlines this past year as infectious diseases specialists worked to stay ahead of the virus’s movements. UT Southwestern stayed at the forefront of this effort with a sequencing lab that helped identify and track the virus variants in North Texas, including recent identification of the Omicron variant in the area.
Hope for long-haulers
Stephen Lummus thought recovering from COVID-19 signaled the end – but it was only the beginning. For him and many more, symptoms may linger in what is called “long-haul” or post-acute COVID-19. UT Southwestern’s COVID Recover rehabilitation program brought help and a return to normalcy. For others who suffer lung damage, the UTSW Post-COVID-19 Lung Clinic is another valuable resource.
The cardiac connection
When COVID-19 began to spread across the U.S., cardiologists at UT Southwestern brainstormed how they could contribute to what they called “the medical fight of our lives.” They came up with the idea of creating a national COVID-19 registry of cardiac patients in partnership with the American Heart Association. As a result, UTSW cardiologists are leading national efforts to understand and reduce the effects of COVID-19 on cardiac patients.
In response to a statewide need for more psychiatric beds and with financial support from the Texas Legislature, UT Southwestern has begun planning DFW’s first state-funded psychiatric hospital. Once completed, Dallas will join other major cities in what is currently a 10-facility network of state psychiatric hospitals. The project in partnership with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission may be completed as early as 2025.
The 12-story third tower of William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital opened early in the year, broadening UT Southwestern’s opportunities to integrate research and education with clinical care. The expansion increased the number of beds and operating rooms and boosted emergency department capacity. Adding to the excitement later in the year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Clements University Hospital the No. 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth for the fifth year in a row.
The National Cancer Institute renewed the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center’s comprehensive designation, reaffirming its place among the country’s elite cancer institutes. Renewal of the NCI comprehensive designation came soon after the Simmons Cancer Center was ranked in the top 25 among hundreds of cancer centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Learn more in a video about what the NCI designation means.
UT Southwestern Medical Center at RedBird, set to open next year, aims to expand clinical care to an underserved community in southern Dallas County. Elsewhere across the main Dallas campus and in North Texas, UT Southwestern is expanding geographically to meet other clinical care needs, including through a recently expanded Radiation Oncology facility and with work underway on a new cancer outpatient/brain research tower. Watch a video tour of the new Radiation Oncology building.
UT Southwestern is the first hospital in Texas using a revolutionary type of brain surgery technology called HIFU, thanks to a $5 million gift from an anonymous donor to the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. HIFU, or high-intensity focused ultrasound, uses ultrasound waves to penetrate the brain and remove unhealthy tissue with more specificity and without invasive surgical techniques. Learn more about this unique surgical approach from a patient’s perspective.
In a move that will increase access and efficiency of clinical trials for patients with sickle cell disease, UT Southwestern has become a founding member of the new Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Trials Network (SCD CTN) to bring treatments and curative options to people suffering from this potentially life-shortening red blood-cell disorder.
UT Southwestern’s nurses were honored for excellence this year as the Medical Center earned redesignation as a Magnet organization from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Fewer than 9% of U.S. hospitals have earned Magnet designation, which is considered the industry’s highest honor given to health care organizations that design nursing goals to improve patient outcomes.
Harnessing the power of computing and big data to improve patient care and advance medical research is the work of UT Southwestern’s newly established Clinical Informatics Center. Christoph Lehmann, M.D., Director of the Center, is leading efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate clinical informatics solutions for health care providers and their patients.
A new type of CAR T-cell therapy more than triples the expected length of remission for some multiple myeloma patients, an international clinical trial that UT Southwestern participated in revealed. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that nearly three-quarters of the patients had at least a partial response to the therapy and about a third achieved complete remission.
UT Southwestern is providing new hope for older adults who suffer fractures and the complications that can result from those injuries with the new Returning Seniors to Orthopedic Excellence (RESTORE) Program. Led by Megan Sorich, D.O., RESTORE is the only program in North Texas focusing on the musculoskeletal health of older people and consolidates clinical efforts across UTSW departments.
An innovative program is delivering health care to new mothers in an effort to reduce high maternal mortality rates reported in parts of Dallas County. The program, called Extending Maternal Care After Pregnancy (eMCAP), is unique because it is community-based and extends the time that women receive care after delivery from 60 days to 12 months.
UT Southwestern Medical Center is one of just 15 surgical centers in the world using next-generation augmented reality in the operating room for shoulder arthroplasty. Shoulder specialist Michael Khazzam, M.D., Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, became the first orthopedic surgeon in Texas to use the Food and Drug Administration-approved technique while operating to restore shoulder function.
By the Numbers
UT Southwestern has received numerous accolades for its patient care programs, which have a depth and breadth that reaches beyond Dallas. In addition to being noted among the nation’s Best Hospitals for survival outcomes by Vizient, U.S. News & World Report, and Healthgrades, UT Southwestern is also recognized in the following:
1st Stroke Center
UTSW was the first stroke center in North Texas to be recognized by The Joint Commission/American Heart Association for providing the highest level of stroke care available.
Top 5% of Hospitals
Again this year, UT Southwestern was in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide as ranked by Press Ganey, a national leader in patient satisfaction surveys.
3 Dozen Projects
UT Southwestern has more than 3 dozen projects underway aimed at enhancing clinical safety and effectiveness.
