[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1121]]
  TRIBUTE TO UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HOSPITAL PRESIDENT/CEO IRENE CUMMING

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 22, 2007

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the outgoing president/chief executive officer of the University of 
Kansas Hospital, Irene Cumming, who is leaving KU's hospital after 11 
years to become chief executive officer of the Oak Brook, Illinois, 
based University HealthSystem Consortium, a group of 97 academic 
medical centers and their affiliated hospitals.
  During her tenure as president/CEO of the University of Kansas 
Hospital, Irene Cumming compiled what the Kansas Legislature recently 
described as a ``stunning list of successes and achievements.'' As 
Lawrence Journal-World editor Dolph Simons, Jr., recently noted, 
``Cumming became CEO of the hospital in 1996 after serving as its chief 
financial officer since 1994. The hospital was in bad shape in terms of 
the number and excellence of its doctors, staff and patients. Staff 
morale was very low, and its perceived excellence in the minds of 
greater Kansas City residents was suffering. Today, it is the best 
hospital in Kansas City. Its patient load is growing each year, it 
enjoys a solid financial base and it provides great support for the KU 
medical school both in the quality of training it provides to residents 
and in the dollars it provides to the school. Cumming helped to build a 
true winner and model for other hospitals, particularly those with 
close historical ties to a medical school.''
  The improvements and accomplishments credited to the University of 
Kansas Hospital under Irene Cumming's leadership are numerous, 
including:
  Since 1998, patient volume has grown by 50 percent to nearly 20,000 
patients, shattering all existing patient volume records in the 100 
year history of the hospital;
  Financial health has improved steadily every year, with revenue 
climbing 185 percent to more than half a billion dollars since the 
Hospital Authority was established;
  Financial strength has allowed significant capital investment in 
resources and facilities, totaling nearly $450 million in the 8 years 
following the establishment of the Hospital Authority;
  This financial strength has also permitted a 340 percent increase in 
support provided for the hospital for the university since 1998, with 
$31 million this year alone;
  After purchasing the outpatient cancer program from a for-profit 
corporation to which the university had transferred it in the 1990s, 
the hospital has invested $75 million in cancer services, including the 
construction of the largest outpatient cancer center in the region, 
opening this summer on the hospital's Westwood campus;
  In 2000, the heart program at the hospital was revitalized, 
culminating in the 2006 opening of the $77 million Center for Advanced 
Heart Care;
  The hospital became, and continues to be, the region's only 
nationally-accredited level 1 Trauma Center;
  The hospital's Bennett Burn Center is the only adult/pediatric burn 
center in Kansas City accredited by the American College of Surgeons 
and the American Burn Association;
  The quality and safety of patient care has improved dramatically and 
gained national recognition; in 2006, the hospital ranked 11th among 
the Nation's 81 academic medical centers in overall safety and quality 
rankings;
  The hospital ranks in the top 17 percent of institutions in the 
University HealthSystem Consortium database in mortality;
  The hospital earned Magnet designation from the American Nurses 
Credentialing Center of the American Nurses Association, the first 
designation for a Kansas-based hospital [only 3.5 percent of the 
Nation's health care organizations are Magnet hospitals];
  The hospital received the first Annual Performance Achievement Award 
from the American Heart Association for stroke care in a six-state 
region;
  The hospital's cancer program received the 2004 Commission on Cancer 
Outstanding Achievement Award, achieved by only eight percent of cancer 
programs in the country;
  The hospital is a nationally recognized leader in the Institute for 
Healthcare Improvement's 100,000 lives campaign;
  The hospital pioneered the creation of partnerships between 
physicians and hospital staff to raise quality, with a model so 
successful it has been adopted by many institutions across the country;
  Patient satisfaction ratings have climbed more than 900 percent since 
1998 in the Kansas City area;
  Employee turnover has dropped from 33 percent in 1998 to 11.69 
percent, the lowest among Kansas City hospitals;
  Sixty-one percent of the hospital's nurses have BSN degrees, compared 
to a 33 percent national average, and the hospital has the second 
lowest nursing turnover rate among large hospitals in Kansas City;
  The hospital's staffed beds have nearly doubled, from 275 to 508; and
  The hospital has achieved all of this while still providing care for 
those who can't afford it; fiscal year 2007 projections are to absorb 
nearly $100 million in uncompensated care charges.
  Prior to joining KU Hospital, Irene Cumming was associate director of 
medical affairs for St. Luke's Health System and chief executive 
officer of St. Luke's Medical Development Corporation in Kansas City, 
Missouri. From 1989-1993, she was executive vice president and chief 
financial officer of Allegheny Health, Education and Research 
Foundation of Philadelphia. Additionally, she previously was a partner 
in the national health care division of Price Waterhouse, where she was 
one of the first women to be admitted to the partnership.
  Clearly, Irene Cumming is a woman of vision, distinction and 
achievement. The University of Kansas Hospital was very fortunate to 
have her as its president/CEO for the past 11 years and her departure 
leaves an exceptional pair of shoes to fill. Madam Speaker, on behalf 
of all residents of the Kansas City region and all consumers of KU 
Hospital, I thank Irene Cumming for her many accomplishments while 
associated with the University of Kansas Hospital and wish her every 
success in future endeavors, as well.

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