Christopher Ehly Appointed as Wound Care Center's Medical Director Christopher Ehly, M.D., has recently been appointed as the Wound Care Center of Kansas City's (WCC) medical director at Bethany Medical Center. Dr. Ehly has served for ten years as one of Bethany Medical Center's primary care physicians, bringing a general medical perspective to wound care management. As medical director, he will be responsible for leading eleven staff physicians, performing case management review, overseeing the quality improvement program, promoting the center, and exercising direct patient care.

Jim Hawkins, R.N., WCC Director, is very pleased about the appointment of Dr. Ehly to this strategic leadership role. "We couldn't have a better person serve in this position," he said. "He is always looking to see what can be done to improve the patient care, and he carries all of those positive traits and characteristics over into his leadership role. It is going to be excellent to have Dr. Ehly working with us as the medical director. Dr. Ehly is an extremely warm and personable physician, and patients, families, and staff really enjoy working with him." Hawkins highlights the excellent record of accomplishment that Dr. Ehly possesses. "Dr. Ehly's healing rate is nearly 90 percent, which is excellent."

Many patients and even physicians are not aware of the tremendous resource of the Wound Care Center. Dr. Ehly clarifies the reasons for its unique importance. "Wound care is sometimes a wart for most other physicians; it is an unwanted side effect of some other major process, and doctors often don't have the nursing staff, the equipment, and the time to effectively follow a wound and make it a priority. There is no formal training through medical school on the good management of wounds so you see a tremendous volume of mismanagement. The Wound Care Center provides a group of people who make it their interest and their focus to invest the time and energy that are needed to successfully treat an otherwise non-healing wound."

Dr. Ehly earned a bachelor's degree in human biology from Stanford University, Stanford, California. He completed his medical degree and a residency in family practice from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas.

Shortly after joining the Wound Care Center staff he completed an intensive in-house training course covering various aspects of wound care management such as topical therapy, infectious disease management, and peripheral vascular disease. He continues to keep abreast of the latest research and literature in the field of wound care management.

The WCC specializes in the treatment of chronic, non-healing wounds, and has worked with more than 300,000 patients in the last twelve years. A chronic, non-healing wound is a wound that someone has had for at least four weeks and has shown no progress of healing or has been present for two months without complete healing. According to Hawkins, "the goal of the Wound Care Center is to have the patient healed within ten to twelve weeks from the time they first see us."

 

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When trying to navigate quickly across town, it can seem like that is all they accomplish. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that if all traffic signals were eliminated, traffic movement would be much slower, more difficult, and less safe.

The purpose of a traffic signal is to assign right-of-way for traffic on each of the vehicle legs as well as to assure that pedestrians may cross streets safely. Traffic signals impose an orderly, systematic, and safe coordination to all the traffic at an intersection. This greatly reduces accident risk.

Normally, traffic signals are timed so that the overall delay that motorists would otherwise experience is reduced. It is true that on a major street there could be delays, while on a side street there would be fewer delays. Therefore, although traffic signals do slow down traffic, they do so in an orderly, systematic manner. This significantly improves traffic flow and safety.

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Systems and processes are those organized collections of steps that occur to accomplish a specific objective with efficiency and effectiveness. You should have systems and processes in place to identify prospects, and then market and sell your product or service to them. Then you need systems and processes to maintain those client relationships and generate repeat business.

If you don't have systems and processes in place, your procedures will degenerate to whatever seems good for the moment. Sometimes that will work, but sometimes it won't work. Your business will be optimally successful if you courageously and regularly check your systems and processes.

You must ruthlessly evaluate each system and process:

Is it still working?

Can it be improved?

Do you need to eliminate it?

Last but not least, do you need to create a new system or process?

 

There's no better time than now to take a fresh look at all your systems and processes to make sure that they are building your business!

 

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BATTERY REPLACEMENT

Depress the battery door button and slide the battery door open to remove the old battery (see Figure 5). Remove the old battery and insert the new battery, carefully noting the position of the electrical contacts. Slide the battery door back into position until it snaps shut.

BATTERY DISPOSAL

The old battery should be disposed of properly. Cover the exposed terminals with electrical tape to prevent shorting which can result in injury or fire. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EXPOSE THE BATTERY TO FIRE, HIGH HEAT, BREAKING, OR CRUSHING; THE BATTERY CONTAINS SULFURIC ACID AND MAY EXPLODE CAUSING PERSONAL INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE. Some states require recycling. Please consult your local solid waste authority for information.

 

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Did you ever wonder where all those long handles and extension poles come from that window washers and painters use to perform their craft? Well, this company's name vividly answers that question: Mr.LongArm. For over forty years, Mr.LongArm has been manufacturing telescoping extension poles and other specialized painting and window washing equipment.

It all started in 1958 when R.D. Newman was making a sales call on a paint business in Wichita. While there, he watched the owner and a paint contractor desperately trying to attach a length of electrical conduit to a paint roller to lengthen the handle. R.D. couldn't help but poke some good-natured fun at the owner's dilemma. The owner then shot back, "If you can make something better, we'll buy it!" That challenge sparked the ingenuity in R.D. He saw the need and he was determined that he would invent the solution. Almost immediately, R.D. began producing the first known aluminum extension handles. The business was established, and it has been off and running ever since.

What began as a small entrepreneurial endeavor in a garage in 1958 has grown considerably in size. Today, the Greenwood, Missouri, headquarters facility is 110,000 square feet. Most recently, Mr.LongArm opened up an additional 40,000 square-foot production and distribution center in Butler, Missouri. Mr.LongArm currently ships products throughout the United States and to over fifty foreign countries.

All Mr.LongArm products are known for their excellent strength and reliability. This is especially the case for the extension poles. The outstanding strength of the extension poles is due to a specialized manufacturing process called "pultrusion." In this process, modern composite resins saturate reinforcement fibers. Then, heat and pressure are applied, triggering the chemical reactions that lock the fibers together. Mr.LongArm is one of the few companies that use pultrusion in their manufacturing processes.

Another reason for the company's success is its ongoing research and development. President of Mr.LongArm, Dere Newman, affirmed this commitment. "A key focus of the company is creating new products and improving existing ones." She also emphasized that there is constant communication throughout every level in the company. "It's important that we listen. That way, we can all put our heads together and come up with the best solutions." This synergistic team effort has been at the center of the company's leadership in the industry.

Although every use of a Mr.LongArm product is important, everyone will appreciate an extremely significant application of the extension poles recently: the valiant rescue operation after the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Into passages and crevices too small for human rescuers and dogs to navigate, Mr.LongArm extension handles were used to maneuver small video cameras. This enabled the rescuers to locate survivors in the rubble with better speed and safety. Dere passionately affirmed, "We were delighted to supply them with as many handles as they needed during that event."

When asked about her vision for the future, Dere conveyed a confident, pioneering attitude. "The vision for the future is an expanded product line and development into new and different markets."

When Mr.LongArm decided to contract with an accounting firm recently, they performed a meticulous screening process. A total of twenty-four firms were interviewed, including some of the top firms in the nation that specialize in manufacturing. Meara, King and Company was chosen because of the great combination of professional expertise and personal attention. Although both factors are very important, Dere especially emphasized that personal attention. "They have a distinct interest in our company and they genuinely care. We couldn't be happier."

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What happens when a lab technician from Tulane Medical School who is also a struggling divorced mother of two children decides to go into the restaurant business? The answer to that intriguing question is Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

With a passion for food and cooking, Ruth Fertel took out a loan to purchase what was then called the Chris Steak House for $18,000. From that humble beginning over 40 years ago in New Orleans, the business has prospered to 87 restaurants both nationally and internationally.

Ruth’s philosophy was to deliver the highest quality product at a value price with great, relaxed “Southern hospitality,” taking care of people the way you would want to be taken care of yourself. Although Ruth passed away just a few years ago, her successful philosophy thrives.

When you find a formula that works, you need to stick with it. That is exactly what Ruth’s Chris Steak House has done with their core product–steak. Executive vice president and chief operating officer, Geoffrey Stiles, describes their winning formula. “The product today is the exactly the same as it was 40 years ago. We take the best quality beef money can buy, cook it in an 1800-degree oven, and season it with a little bit of salt, pepper, and a touch of butter. Then we serve it on a sizzling 500-degree platter so that your first bite is as good as your last bite.”

Ruth’s Chris Steak House serves a broad range of customers defined in three distinct types: the business traveler who is on the road, regulars who visit frequently, and last but not least, special-event guests, who may visit just once a year for an anniversary or some other special event. Regardless of the customer type, each one enjoys the same outstanding service. This diversity of clientele has also contributed to the company’s ability to weather tough economic times.

Stiles finds that technology plays, “an increasingly vital role in the business. The company’s Web site, www.ruthschris.com, is an extremely important tool, providing customer reservations, menu information, company philosophy, all in a dynamic, interesting, exciting, easy-to-navigate manner.” In the “back office,” computer technology enables management to collect and review business metrics in real time, discern trends, and then make adjustments where necessary.

Effective management and operational methodologies are key components to the company’s success. Consistency of operations in the food program, style of service, operations, and methodologies is absolutely required. This ensures that each customer at every location enjoys the identical product and dining experience.

Employees at every level manifest a true ownership mentality in terms of taking care of guests in the correct manner. As Stiles affirms, “Our expectation as a company and my personal expectation of our teams is that they create that ownership thought process that says, ‘I’m going to take care of my guests in the correct manner that will ensure that we’ll be around for a while.’”

Precisely because Ruth’s Chris Steak House demands such consistency in the customer experience, Stiles explains that they give extreme care to their supply chain strategy. “There is a very, very closely controlled environment for sourcing product, and we have consistent specifications for all our product. Our operators embrace those specifications. That’s one reason why our brand continues to be as successful as it is. You get the same product whether you are eating in San Diego, Jacksonville, or Maui.”

The employees are a significant contributor to this high level of operations and supply chain strategy. Ruth’s Chris Steak House is diligent in its hiring process to select only those individuals who have a genuine aptitude for pleasing customers. That same standard is applied to every employee. The back-of-the-house person is expected to be just as hospitable and committed to service as the front-of-the-house person.

After someone joins the team, he or she is automatically expected to be a participant in the company’s strategy and thinking process. As Stiles states, “I value each individual and their thought processes and opinions. That is probably what provides for me the ability to assume my role here. I don’t discount anyone’s thoughts or their ability to contribute in some manner.”Because these skills are so valued, the company invests in employee retention by offering a very competitive pay and benefits package, a 401(k) plan, and ongoing opportunities for long-term professional advancement. The results speak for themselves; turnover is very low. Some employees have been with Ruth’s Chris Steak House for over 30 years.

Finally, Stiles emphasizes integrity as the glue that holds the pieces together. “There can’t be a difference between the way you lead your personal life and the way your conduct yourself as a professional.” That has definitely been proven at Ruth's Chris Steak House.