February 16, 1999

At the Feb. 12 Board of Trustee's meeting we reported on the high activity levels within the Medical Center. For the period July 1998 through January 1999, patient days increased 8 percent, admissions increased 3 percent and outpatient visits increased 12 percent.

Our occupancy rate within the adult hospital for the first seven months of this fiscal year was 87 percent.

Our board also heard a report on our financial status and our efforts to control costs. With the support of all areas of the Medical Center in implementing our cost control plan, we hope to improve our financial situation and be in a positive cash position by the end of the fiscal year.

The Board of Trustees’ hospital and patient care committee emphasized the major goals of establishing additional beds for the Medical Center and pursuing organizational changes that will give us greater flexibility within our competitive health care environment. Our plans for constructing a cardiovascular and emergency services facility should help us achieve these goals. Additionally, we will continue to seek legislative support to gain flexibility from certain state regulations, as recommended by the KPMG consulting firm and discussed in previous Currents. In the near future, the board plans to formally adopt or modify these goals, which are in sync with the strategic plan recently embraced by the board.

The board gave us approval to proceed with a certificate of need, or CON, request to build a CT/MRI/laser facility at Rutledge Tower. The facility will house a CT, MRI and the McGill Laser Center. We will move the laser center from the fourth floor of the Storm Eye Institute to this new facility in order to free up space and reopen beds. The board passed a resolution for a $60 million revenue bond. We will move forward with capital plans when the board authorizes the issuance of these bonds, which should be later in 1999.

Clearly, we are developing the framework to address current and future needs and fulfill our mission. While many challenges lie ahead, we are enthusiastic about the Medical Center’s future.

W. Stuart Smith, Interim Vice President for Clinical Operations Interim CEO, MUSC Medical Center

Announcements

• Chris Murray, director of Marketing Services, distributed revised graphic standards manuals to the management team. The manual includes detailed instructions on how to use the new logo. All employees will receive a graphic standards quick reference guide that outlines logo usage.
• John Cooper, director of finance, said the capital equipment budget will be distributed next week at the communications meeting. The operations budget will be distributed by March 1.

Platelet Donation

• Beth Medved, with the American Red Cross, announced the ongoing need for platelet donation, or apherisis, which helps patients undergoing treatments for illnesses such as cancer and sickle cell anemia. The process takes approximately one-and-a-half hours.
• The American Red Cross Apheresis Donor Center is located in room 267 of the main hospital. Appointment times are from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. The center can accommodate eight donors a day. To schedule an appointment, please call the center at 792-3340, or contact Medved at 852-2922 or (medvedb@usa.redcross.org).

JCAHO Update

• Vivian Gettys, JCAHO program manager, Florence Simmons, nurse case manager, and Toni Catoe, R.N., home health coordinator, presented information about the Clinical Services scope of service manual template. The JCAHO continuum of care subcommittee developed the template to promote consistency across units. Each unit should revise its scope of service manual to help ensure that all resources are allocated appropriately.
• The scope of service template includes information about a unit's services, admission/discharge criteria, plan of care, staffing, staff qualifications, communication/collaboration with other departments, unit goals, process improvement and standards of practice.
• Please contact Gettys at 792-7688 if you need a template or a sample manual to use as a guideline. Scope of service manuals must be turned in to Gettys by March 31.