Clinical services is focus of strategic planning process

The University Strategic Plan covers a wide variety of clinical services provided by MUSC's health care professionals. University Medical Associates and the MUSC Medical Center are the organizations most affected. MUSC's clinical enterprise is currently involved in a focused, intense strategic planning process. Issues being addressed include developing a statewide Center for Health Care Research with assessing the health care needs of the citizens of South Carolina and reporting on their access to health care services. The center report is under way and will be completed this summer.

The University Planning Committee also emphasized the importance of the electronic medical record by giving it its own objective and strategies. The electronic medical record has been named “Emerald” by the committee which is overseeing this initiative (chaired by Vic Del Bene, M.D.), and The Catalyst has published three articles by the project's Communications Committee on the progress being made on the electronic medical record design and implementation. Project development is a few months behind schedule, but initial training in use of the system is expected to begin this summer. Resources are being provided for the project through the medical center budget.

Implementation

An augmented annual budget hearing process was implemented in planning for the FY 98-99 budget. Finance and Administration reports that the process has evolved and included changes and modifications from lessons learned. Additional modifications will be made moving into the next fiscal year process to allow for better priority setting and related budgeting for the university to be able to meet its strategic objectives. This hearing process has provided a forum for the specific questioning of the relationship of proposed expenditures to the pursuit of initiatives contained in the University Strategic Plan, especially as it relates to education and research.

Finance and Administration is developing a capital budget model and process which will be designed to bring the same level of review and scrutiny to the proposed expenditure of capital funds and their relationship to initiatives within the University Strategic Plan. This capital budget model has heretofore not existed at the university and will be implemented fully beginning with the development of the university's budget for the following fiscal year.

The University Strategic Plan also focused on the importance of philanthropy to help effect the strategic plan. The Development Office recently hired an individual with the sole responsibility of securing “leadership gifts,” in the multi-million dollar range. The growth and recognition of MUSC as a national leader lends itself well to a focus on these generous gifts. Finally, the strategic plan charges the associate provost for institutional assessment with monitoring progress toward attaining the goals and objectives of the strategic plan. A format for the assessment has been developed and approved by the Committee on Institutional Assessment. Annual reports of accomplishments are to be communicated to the university committee. This article is the first of these reports.

The University Planning Committee will begin meeting again in the fall to review implementation issues and environmental changes that may require revising the plan itself. Committee recommendations will go through an approval process involving the Board of Trustees. Meanwhile, if any faculty, staff, or students have concerns or recommendations for the Planning Committee, please contact Tom Higerd, Ph.D., at 792-4333 or higerdtb@musc.edu.