UCONN HEALTH
THE PULSE
Issue 321 | July 14, 2022
Orthodontics Nationally Recognized for Research
With nearly $660,000 in funding received since 1997, the School of Dental Medicine’s orthodontics program has been recognized as one of the top programs in the country with the most research funding from the American Association of Orthodontists—the leading organization in the field of orthodontics. Read more about this major achievement. 
WELCOME TO POSSIBLE.
Podcast: When Your Spine Surgeon Has X-Ray Vision
Did you know our spine surgeons are using high-tech tools that enable them to do their procedures with virtual X-ray vision? Dr. Isaac Moss, the first spine surgeon in the region to perform augmented reality spine surgery, explains in our latest podcast.
JAMA Study Shows Decline in Hospital Adverse Events
Just out this week: results of the largest medical record-based study of U.S. hospital patients' adverse events, showing a significant decrease over the last decade. Learn more about the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and co-authored by Dr. Mark Metersky, who says, "The major safety improvement efforts made by our country and our hospitals seem to be paying off."
DEAR DR. LIANG
I receive bills for copays for my children, but for some reason, I’m unable to pay their bills on MyChart, despite having access to their accounts. Also, it doesn’t appear we have a way to make payments electronically rather than pay by mail or by phone. Will/can these become options for us?
 
Thank you for your note. I’ve shared your concerns with members of our IT group, who explain that those who are their own guarantor or the guarantor of a child have several options, including electronic pay. More specifically:
 
  1. The paper statement contains a URL that will bring you to an online payment portal where you can either “pay as guest” by clicking the “Pay As Guest” button or by logging into your MyChart account directly.
  2. MyChart includes a section to pay electronically as part of the billing summary. If you are the guarantor for your child, you will want to make sure you are logged into and viewing your own MyChart account and not your child’s MyChart account, as all of their bills will roll up to your MyChart account as the guarantor. There will be nothing visible to you to pay under your child’s profile, as your child is not financially responsible.
  3. If you are not the guarantor but wish to make payments for your child’s balances, you may use the “pay as guest” feature by going directly to: https://mychart.uconn.edu/mychart/billing/guestpay/payasguest
  4. There are additional options listed for payment by phone or by mail for those patients who prefer not to make an online payment. The billing customer service department (860-679-6387) is available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for assistance with any of these options. 
 
I appreciate you raising these concerns and enabling us to address them in a forum that can benefit others who may have similar questions, and I thank you for choosing UConn Health for your family’s care.
UPDATES/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Meet Dr. Jeffrey Hines, Chief Diversity Officer
Our first ever CDO Jeffrey F. Hines, M.D., is on the ground at UConn Health doing walking rounds to meet as many members of the UConn Health Community as possible to build upon the institution's strong diversity commitment and efforts. Learn more from
Dr. Hines in this Q & A article including how: "The biggest aspect of our success is when DEI is ubiquitous."
Science in Seconds: Understanding Our Immune System
Jianbin Ruan Ph.D.
Immunology researcher Jianbin Ruan uses high-tech tools to study how certain pathogens can escape our immune system and cause serious infections and diseases. In our latest "Science in Seconds" video, Dr. Ruan gives an overview of how his lab explores, at a molecular level, how our immune system recognizes pathogen infections such as shigella bacteria.
American Chemical Society Honors Dr. Cato T. Laurencin
Congratulations to Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, who will receive the 2023 Priestley Medal, the American Chemical Society's highest honor! This award is in recognition of Dr. Laurencin's contributions in poylmeric biomaterials chemistry and engineering, and the new field or regenerative engineering that he's pioneered. Learn more about this latest honor.
CYBERSECURITY CORNER
Beware of Spoofed Phone Calls
UConn Health recently received notification that a patient's family was targeted with a scam in the form of spoofed phone calls. The attacker used technology so the caller ID displayed a number originating from UConn Health. Once someone answers, a scripted scam developed through social engineering, attempts to trick the victim into giving over money. Preventing spoofed calls is next to impossible, but we can be prepared for them. Find out how from Dennis Lieber, Chief Information Security Officer.
PIC OF THE WEEK
Celebrating 125 Years of Elizabeth Park 
This week West Hartford’s public Elizabeth Park is celebrating its 125th anniversary. As part of its week-long festivities UConn School of Medicine faculty and residents participated in the park’s July 13th Health & Wellness Day. Educating the public on healthy lifestyles and choices were Division of Internal Medicine’s Drs. Varalakshmi Niranjan and Elizabeth Appel, along with internal medicine and family medicine residents. Find other free Elizabeth Park anniversary events happening this week. 
Got a story idea for The Pulse? Email us at thepulse@uchc.edu.
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