University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UW Hospital and Clinics or UWHC) is a 592-bed academic medical center with 85 outpatient clinics in Madison, Wisconsin. It is an American College of Surgeons designated Level I adult and pediatric trauma center, one of two Level I trauma centers in Wisconsinâ€"the other in Milwaukee. UW Hospital and Clinics has six intensive care units (trauma and life support, pediatric, cardiac, cardiothoracic, burn, neurosurgery). UW Health also has an affiliated insurance company, Unity Health Insurance.
History
UW Hospital and Clinics was established by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1924. Originally named Wisconsin General Hospital, the facility's first location was at 1300 University Avenue. In 1979, it moved to a new facility at 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, and the original building was converted for use by the university as classrooms. Formerly part of the University of Wisconsin System, UW Hospital and Clinics was reorganized as a public authority, the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Authority (UWHCA), on June 29, 1996.
The hospital and clinics are directed by statute to: "maintain, control and supervise the use of the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, for the purposes of:
- Delivering comprehensive, highâˆ'quality health care to patients using the hospitals and to those seeking care from its programs, including a commitment to provide such care for the medically indigent.
- Providing an environment suitable for instructing medical and other health professions students, physicians, nurses and members of other healthâˆ'related disciplines.
- Sponsoring and supporting research in the delivery of health care to further the welfare of the patients treated and applying the advances in health knowledge to alleviate human suffering, promote health and prevent disease.
- Assisting health programs and personnel throughout the state and region in the delivery of health care."
American Family Children's Hospital
The University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics opened the American Family Children's Hospital on August 29, 2007. The $78 million facility was funded by $41 million in private donations, which included $10 million contributed by American Family Insurance, and $37 million in bonds.
UW-Health at The American Center
UW-Health also operates UW Health at The American Center, located in the American Center business park on the northeast side of Madison. The hospital includes 56 beds and an emergency room. The campus also includes the UW Health Rehabilitation Hospital, and 1.5 miles away, the UW Health East Clinic.
Employee relations
Employees of the UWHC negotiate their contracts on a separate schedule from employees of the UW System. This right was removed when the passage of a bill to limit collective bargaining rights was passed.
Recognition
- In 2016, UW Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) was named the top hospital in Wisconsin by U.S. News & World Report for the fourth consecutive year
- UW Hospital and Clinics received "magnet hospital" designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2009.
- UW Hospital and Clinics was named the #1 academic medical center nationwide for outstanding nursing quality in 2009 by American Nurses Association, based on performance on the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI).
- UW Hospital and Clinics ranked among the top five academic health centers nationwide in a University HealthSystem Consortium benchmarking study of safety, mortality, clinical effectiveness and equity in delivering care, 2008.
- UW Hospital and Clinics ranked among the top 50 in the nation in 15 medical specialties in the most recent (2016) U.S. News & World Report hospital ranking. Additionally, the American Family Children's Hospital was ranked among the top 50 in the nation in five medical specialties in the same report.â€
- UW Hospital and Clinics named among "100 Best Companies" in the nation by Working Mother magazine in 2007 and 2008.
- The Hospital and Clinics' Heart and Vascular Care program listed among top 100 hospital programs in the Thomson Reuters Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success, 2004-2008.
See also
- UW Carbone Cancer Center
References
External links
- UW Hospital and Clinics home page
- American Family Children's Hospital home page
- UW Health at The American Center
