Finegold established the scholarship in 1985 in memory of his wife, Joan, a nurse, to help the children of Texas Children’s registered nurses fulfill their educational goals. The applicant (registered nurse) must be an employee of Texas Children’s for a minimum of two years on or before May 1 of the year of application.
Watch the newest “I am Texas Children’s” video featuring employee Dana Gonzales in West Campus – Diabetes/Endocrine Care Center. “As a pediatric nurse, I love taking care of children and providing support to their families. There’s always room to grow and learn new things at Texas Children’s.” Check out her video, and find out how you and your coworkers can be featured in the “I Am Texas Children’s” section on Connect.
For the second year in a row, Texas Children’s has received the “Most Wired” designation for outstanding health care-based technology from Hospitals & Health Network Magazine – the flagship publication of the American Hospital Association.
“Earning Most Wired designation for two consecutive years is a tribute to the hard work of Information Services and our many partners at Texas Children’s,” said Myra Davis, senior vice president of Information Services (IS). “It also reflects the foresight of the administration to recognize the role innovative technology can play in supporting world-class patient care.”
Now in its 16th year, the Most Wired Survey polls hospitals and health systems nationwide regarding their IT initiatives. Hospitals that lead the way in technological achievement receive Most Wired designation. Surveys completed in 2014 represent more than 30 percent of all U.S. hospitals.
In 2013, Texas Children’s received its first-ever Most Wired recognition, as well as a Most Wired Innovator Award for innovative use of information technology for the Voalte Rapid Communication Project.
New Most Wired standards
Most Wired adopted a new, more-stringent analytic structure for the survey this year. Rather than technology adoption, recognition for IT excellence among hospitals and health systems is now based more on an organization’s meaningful use based on federal requirements for certified electronic health records.
“Hospital leaders should be commended for the hard work they’ve done under an unrealistic time frame,” states Russell P. Branzell, president and CEO of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
The Information Services team will receive the award in San Diego later this month at the 2014 Health Forum and AHA Leadership Summit, where senior executives from the nation’s leading hospitals and health systems will discuss the critical issues facing their organizations and network to find the solutions they need to be more successful.
Watch the newest “I am Texas Children’s” video featuring employee XiaYu Chen in West Campus – Nutrition and GI. “I love working at Texas Children’s because of the high quality of patient care,” XiaYu said. “I am proud to be part of it.”
Check out her video, and find out how you and your coworkers can be featured in the “I Am Texas Children’s” section on Connect.
Q&A: Annette Gabonay Guzman, April – June 2014 Leader
Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Annette Gabonay Guzman, manager of Therapy Department at Texas Children’s Health Centers – Sugar Land. I have been the manager for seven years and have been a Texas Children’s Hospital employee for nine years.
What month are you Super Star for?
April-June 2014
Tell us how you found out you won a Super Star award.
I walked into a “Health Center concerns” meeting only to find out that it was a surprise meeting for me to let me know that I was awarded Super Star Leader.
What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do?
I feel appreciated and valued for the work that I do. It is a great honor to be recognized for it by my peers.
What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
I think that being able to guide, inspire and encourage others to grow and learn and having the ability to set an example and be followed makes someone at Texas Children’s a Super Star Leader.
What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
The patients and their families are my motivation for going above and beyond every day at work. I want to provide excellent customer service, and I strive for the Therapy Department to provide the best care possible.
What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
The best thing about working at Texas Children’s is working with my team of employees in the Therapy Department. They work very hard, have great collaboration and make work fun for the team and for all of the patients.
Anything else you want to share?
I am very thankful and humbled to have been given the Super Star Leader award, and I greatly appreciate it.
U.S.News and World Report released its 2014-2015 Best Children’s Hospitals list today, and Texas Children’s Hospital maintained the no. 4 spot among the 183 children’s hospitals surveyed by the publication. Also, Texas Children’s once again is listed on the Honor Roll, which recognizes hospitals with top 10 rankings in at least three specialties.
“We are thrilled that U.S.News continually recognizes our hospital as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country,” said Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “These results are a testament to our organization’s focus on quality and safety and the dedication of our staff and employees, and it’s just another indication of what we all have known for some time: that we are doing tremendous work here at Texas Children’s.”
U.S.News annually ranks the top 50 pediatric centers in 10 specialty areas. In the 2014-15 rankings, U.S.News surveyed 183 pediatric centers to obtain clinical data in 10 specialties. Eighty-nine hospitals ranked in at least one specialty, and 10 hospitals were named to the Honor Roll below:
| Ranking | Hospital | Points | Specialties in top 10 |
| 1 | Boston Children’s Hospital | 20 | 10 |
| 1 | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia | 20 | 10 |
| 3 | Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center | 15 | 9 |
| 4 | Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston | 14 | 9 |
| 5 | Children’s Hospital Los Angeles | 8 | 6 |
| 6 | Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora | 7 | 5 |
| 7 | Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago | 6 | 4 |
| 9 | Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC | 5 | 5 |
| 10 | Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Baltimore | 4 | 3 |
The 10 children’s hospitals on the 2014-15 Honor Roll ranked at or near the top in three or more specialties. The order is by total points. If a hospital ranked among the highest 5 percent in a specialty, it received 2 points, and if a hospital ranked in the next 5 percent, it received 1 point. Boston Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia again tied for the top spot. Texas Children’s is separated from the no. 3 position by a single point. This year’s ranking demonstrates some significant gains among several Texas Children’s services. Here are a few highlights:
“Texas Children’s results on this year’s survey reflect the diligent efforts of the steering committee we formed last year to focus on the U.S.News survey,” Wallace said. “The process of compiling and refining our data is an ongoing challenge, which will continue to improve under the excellent leadership of Angelo Giardino, Tom Luerssen, Mary Jo Andre, Terri Brown and Colleen Jones.”
Texas Children’s made these notable gains amid several changes to this year’s survey. This year, the weight of the reputational score decreased from 25 percent to 16.7 percent, and the best practices and infection prevention rate both increased in weight, from 4.2 percent to 8.3 percent. Also, two additional outcomes were scored in neonatology, and one additional outcome was scored in orthopedics and gastroenterology/GI surgery. Five-sixths of each hospital’s score relied on patient outcomes and the care-related resources each hospital makes available. The remaining one-sixth of the score is derived from a survey of 450 pediatric specialists and subspecialists in each specialty over three years. The physicians were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty, setting aside location and expense.
Texas Children’s, working closely with academic partner Baylor College of Medicine, continues to pioneer advancements in pediatric healthcare and earns the U.S.News honor roll distinction by being ranked among America’s best in:
“Our high rankings demonstrate the commitment we have to achieving quality outcomes, tracking those outcomes and using them to markedly improve the care we deliver,” said Texas Children’s Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr.
This year’s methodology reflects a number of improvements that better differentiate hospitals based on outcomes, best practices and infection prevention. Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline said the results are a reflection of the work of a gifted, dedicated staff.
“Texas Children’s has more pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists than any other hospital in the world,” Kline said. “But more importantly, we have many of the world’s most talented and dedicated physicians, educators, scientists, nurses and other health professionals, and working together, our team is driving innovation and advancement in pediatric health care. I’m proud of their commitment.”
The 2014-15 edition of Best Children’s Hospitals is available online at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.
Dr. Daniel Penny, chief of Cardiology at Texas Children’s Hospital and section head and professor of Pediatrics-Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine, was recently presented the 2014 University College Cork (UCC) Medical School Medal. The award ceremony took place at Penny’s alma mater in Ireland on May 28.
The award, established in 2001, was created to honor those who have made exceptional contributions to medicine and society. Penny was chosen as this year’s recipient based on his sustained and excellent track record in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology; in leadership and expertise at an international level in academic medicine; in his support and inspiration for generations of medical students and trainees; and his work in establishing links between UCC and Texas Children’s.
“I am truly honored to receive this year’s UCC Medical School Medal,” said Penny. “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to have worked, and continue to work, in hospitals throughout my career which are leading the way in improving the health and well-being of children and families across the globe.”
Penny was born in Cork, Ireland, where he completed his medical degree at University College Cork, The National University of Ireland. He trained and practiced at top pediatric institutions, such as The Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, where he served as chief of Cardiology before joining Texas Children’s. Penny also is a founding director of the Australia and New Zealand Children’s Heart Research Centre, a collaborative network for multicenter research across Australia and New Zealand. His research bridges cardiac physiology and clinical studies of congenital heart disease. In 2010 he was awarded his involvement in developing a Cardiovascular Institute in Hue City, Central Vietnam, for which he received the “For People’s Health” Award from the Vietnamese government.