University of Illinois Health: An Overview

The University of Illinois (UI) Health, a part of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), is a comprehensive healthcare enterprise committed to providing high-quality medical services, advancing health equity, and fostering groundbreaking research. With a wide network of facilities and a strong academic foundation, UI Health plays a vital role in serving the healthcare needs of the community and beyond.

Comprehensive Healthcare System

UI Health's clinical enterprise includes a 438-bed tertiary care hospital, over 30 outpatient clinics, 11 federally qualified Mile Square Health Center locations, and a new Specialty Care Building. This extensive network allows UI Health to provide a full spectrum of medical services, ranging from primary care to specialized treatments. The Dr. Cynthia Barnes-Boyd Mile Square Health Center, based in John B., is a key component of UI Health's commitment to accessible healthcare.

Academic and Research Powerhouse

UI Health is deeply integrated with the academic and research activities of the seven UIC health science colleges, which have campuses in Chicago, Peoria, Quad Cities, Rockford, Springfield, and Urbana. These colleges include:

Applied Health Sciences
Dentistry
Medicine
Nursing
Pharmacy
School of Public Health
Jane Addams College of Social Work

This academic integration fosters innovation and ensures that UI Health's clinical practices are informed by the latest research findings.

Commitment to Health Equity

UI Health is dedicated to the pursuit of health equity for marginalized communities and populations. This commitment is reflected in its focus on serving vulnerable neighborhoods and ensuring representation in access to care. The hospital tracks socioeconomic representation in its patient population, including the representation of low-income patients treated under Medicaid and people from disadvantaged neighborhoods, based on the Area Deprivation Index.

UI Health also monitors demographic representation, including the percentages of non-white, Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Native American patients treated at the hospital, compared to the demographics of the community, county, and state. Furthermore, UI Health analyzes outcomes disparities to ensure that all patients, regardless of their background, receive the best possible care. For example, they track how successful the hospital is in enabling Black patients to live at home during their first 30 days of recovery, compared to White patients.

Recognition and Achievements

The University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago, IL is rated high performing in 1 adult specialty and 4 procedures and conditions. News generates hospital rankings by evaluating data on nearly 5,000 hospitals. To be nationally ranked in a specialty, a hospital must excel in caring for the sickest, most medically complex patients.

The University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics has been recognized with nine quality-achievement awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines® program. UI Health Volunteer Services has over 1,000 hospital volunteers, placing it among the largest volunteer programs in Illinois.

Focus on Patient Experience

UI Health places a strong emphasis on patient experience, as reflected in its participation in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. This survey asks patients to rate their hospital stay, providing valuable feedback on overall satisfaction, willingness to recommend the hospital, and communication with healthcare providers.

Research and Innovation

UIC is in the top 10 globally for research productivity in sickle cell disease, according to the number of citations of its researchers by other scholars. The Orjala Strain Library, located in UIC’s Molecular Biology Research Building, is one of the largest repositories of North American freshwater cyanobacteria in the United States, with 1,545 unique cyanobacteria strains.

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Specific Areas of Expertise

UI Health and the Children's Hospital of the University of Illinois are recognized for their expertise in various pediatric specialties, including:

Neonatology (with a focus on infection prevention in the neonatal intensive-care unit and commitment to best practices)
Pediatric & Adolescent Behavioral Health
Pediatric Cancer
Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery
Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology
Pediatric Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
Pediatric Nephrology
Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery
Pediatric Orthopedics
Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
Pediatric Urology

Rankings and Ratings

News & World Report evaluates data on nearly 5,000 hospitals to generate hospital rankings. To be nationally ranked in a specialty, a hospital must excel in caring for the sickest, most medically complex patients. Hospitals are ranked from 1 to 50 in each specialty. Hospitals not in the top 50 but in the top 10% of all hospitals evaluated are rated “high performing.” Rankings in 12 of the specialties rely largely on objective, publicly available data, such as Medicare claims, and focus on patient outcomes, patient experience, care-related factors, and expert opinion. The final three specialties rely only on the expert opinion survey.

The 22 commonly needed procedures and conditions are rated as ‘high performing,’ ‘as expected’ or ‘evaluated.’. Data from multiple sources, including Medicare and Medicare Advantage claims, are analyzed to assess the hospital's risk-adjusted outcomes. Variables linked to quality of care and patient satisfaction scores are also factored into the ratings.

Applied Health Sciences (AHS)

For over a century, AHS has been at the forefront of research and scholarship that has an immediate impact on the daily lives of all people. Students research social and behavioral science and learn best practices in addressing human health holistically. AHS prepares students for a bright future fostering healthy lifestyles in the world’s largest industries.

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