With a $2 million private donation, the UW Academic Medical Center will establish programs to enhance positive interactions of patients and visitors with health-care providers and staff.

An eight-member Service Culture Committee chaired by John Coulter, associate vice president for medical affairs and executive director of Health Sciences Administration, has been appointed by Paul Ramsey, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the UW School of Medicine, to implement programs with income from the endowment.

"We're working on guidelines, for example, to enable us to acknowledge exceptional sensitivity to patient needs and reinforce the importance of customer service by rewarding unusual acts of kindness toward patients and visitors," Coulter said.