DEAR FRIEND,

When an organization advances beyond its original vision, you know it is achieving great things.

As you will see in the pages of this report, The University of Kansas Hospital continues its dramatic turnaround story. Through remarkable teamwork among physicians, nurses, ancillary care and other health professionals, we have transformed our hospital into one of the best in the nation. Recently, our board members and our staff helped craft a new vision to reflect how far we've come and to set our sights on expanded horizons:

To lead the nation in caring, healing, teaching and learning.

Not surprisingly, this new vision statement coincided with the best year in our hospital's history. And we define "best" very specifically. It is all about the patient. To fulfill the first part of our vision – caring and healing – we deliver the most advanced, compassionate care possible to our patients each and every day. In fiscal 2009, our key quality measures placed us among the leading hospitals in the country. We saved more lives than ever before while caring for more patients who were more seriously ill than in past years. Our patient satisfaction rankings also show us near the top in providing an excellent experience of care.

Our dedication to teaching and learning – the second half of our vision – reflects the high value we place on sharing knowledge across our organization to improve patient care. Teams of physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other care providers are continually looking at the latest outcomes data for opportunities to improve and applying the best evidence-based practices to the delivery of care.

Our commitment to teaching and learning is also evidenced by our partnership with the University of Kansas Medical Center in support of its educational and research missions. In particular, we have joined with the university in its quest for National Cancer Institute designation for The University of Kansas Cancer Center, to reduce the burden of cancer across Kansas and the region. Our hospital also is sharing resources and expertise with health care providers across the state to improve the health of all Kansans through efforts such as our Surviving Sepsis collaborative program.

Advancing. That single, powerful word defines The University of Kansas Hospital in action. We will never stop working toward a future of better outcomes for all patients.

Respectfully submitted,