annual report - Department of Neurosurgery University of Florida

Our regional manager of physician relations, Kelly Flowers, increased the number of educational andpromotional activities in the department, coordinated 43 UF physician visits with referring physiciansand increased readership of the monthly neurosurgery e-newsletter. Patient transfer requests increased11 percent over last year and transfer admissions went up 10 percent. Additionally, we expanded ourstrategic partnerships and affiliations with neurosurgeons and hospitals throughout the state.The Lillian S. Wells Foundation Inc. donated $10 millionto the University of Florida Department of Neurosurgeryto help medical scientists better understand the causesof brain tumors, develop effective treatments andimprove quality of life for patients. In recognition of thisthe department has been renamed the Lillian S. WellsDepartment of Neurosurgery.Faculty member MaryamRahman, M.D., wasawarded the Congress ofNeurological SurgeonsAward for residents,fellows or fully trainedneurosurgeons interestedUF neurosurgeons continue to advance the level of care andpractice in their field through significant publications andnotable papers in leading national and international journals.Some notable contributions and papers are mentionedthroughout the report. For more information about these andall of our publications, go to www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed andsearch “University of Florida Neurosurgery.”Kelly Flowers, regional manager of physician relationsThe department celebrated the life’s work of Albert L.Rhoton Jr., M.D., founder of the University of FloridaDepartment of Neurosurgery and an expert in the field ofmicroneurosurgery. “Dr. Rhoton took a relatively unknowndivision and turned it into one of the best neurosurgerydepartments in the world,” said William Friedman,M.D., the Albert L. Rhoton Jr. professor and chairman ofneurosurgery. “He is the reason I came to UF to train.”in clinical, translational orbasic science with a focuson tumor research.Maryam Rahman, M.D.,William A. Friedman, M.D.,attended the Institute forHealthcare Improvement(IHI) executive leadershipprogram, which had afocus on quality andsafety. Friedman has beena leader in implementingquality initiatives atShands at UF for morethan six years and wasinstrumental in being partof the UF&Shands teamthat helped establish 4-Starstatus for the institution in2011, as recognized by theUniversity HealthsystemConsortium.Randy Harmatz, M.B.A.The department sponsored a quality retreat for residents and faculty. The program includedkeynote speaker Randy Harmatz, M.B.A., chief quality officer for UF&Shands, and severalUF neurosurgeons who presented five recent quality initiatives, including: enhanced staffcommunication and reduced near-miss errors with a neurointerventional procedural checklist;management of anticoagulation; protocol for Halo management; parameters for extubation; andDVT prophylaxis post-craniotomy. Since 2006, UF neurosurgeons have chaired and sponsoredmore than 15 quality projects, many resulting in evidence-based protocols.Michael Waters, M.D., Ph.D., a UF neurologist and Shands atUF Stroke Program director, received the Gold Plus QualityAchievement Award from the American Heart/AmericanStroke Association. Shands at UF is the only AHCA-designatedComprehensive Stroke Center in north central Florida.William A. Friedman, M.D.Albert L. Rhoton Jr., M.D.Michael Waters, M.D., Ph.D.A Year In ReviewMajor Events in the UF Department of Neurosurgery6 352.273.9000 learn more at neurosurgery.ufl.edu learn more at neurosurgery.ufl.edu 352.273.9000 7