Republican lawmakers question UIHC Disney training

Some Republican legislators are questioning plans by University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to send some employees to the Disney Institute for customer service training. It's bad form in this time of 10 percent state budget cuts, the lawmakers said in a statement today. UI Hospitals leaders have worked with the Disney Institute for at least a year, bringing training specialists to the Iowa City hospital. This upcoming trip to Orlando for hospital leaders, administrators, doctors, nurses and medical assistants for professional development expertise training would cost about $130,000, according to the lawmakers. With impending tuition increases, surcharges, furloughs and program cuts, the timing of the trip is questionable, the Republican legislators say.  "Over 100,000 Iowans are out of work.  Small businesses and families are tightening their budget belts, yet the people running the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics are not," said Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, R-Wilton.  "It seems ludicrous that the Board of Regents would try to justify a trip to Disney for improved customer service when they have been reducing staff at UIHC and raising fees on University of Iowa students." Rep. Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, added that the trip "certainly fits the definition of unnecessary."  In September 2008, when UIHC officials told the regents about the new relationship with the Disney Institute, they said they wanted to get training in Disney customer service, something Disney is known for. Hospital leaders told regents they wanted to take some of the Disney practices and translate them into "the Iowa experience."