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Currents Our board of trustees recently passed a resolution for implementation of the Medical University Hospital Authority. The board's implementation resolution included the approval of the Authority's bylaws and organizational structure, a shared services agreement with the University, and the ambulatory care agreement with UMA. The implementation resolution also involved approval of the Authority's budget and various policies, including procurement, grievance and expenditure of public funds policies. The new fiscal year will be challenging.  The focus of our Authority work teams will shift toward fine tuning our shared services agreement and developing the financial management structure needed within the Medical Center. Our goal will be to continue high quality care while achieving a financial margin. We have completed a tough year. I want to thank everyone for your hard work. We have done more with less while continuing high quality care.  Some areas of MUSC have announced reductions in force. Evidently, a few employees thought the reductions were a result of the implementation of the Medical University Hospital Authority. There will be no reductions within the Medical Center resulting from the Authority implementation. Thank you very much for a job well done. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center Town Hall Meeting with President Greenberg for Medical Center employees A town hall meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, July 5, at 3:30 p.m. in the Institute of Psychiatry Auditorium. Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., will share an overview of his aspirations for MUSC and address questions. Finance Update Lisa Montgomery, administrator for Financial Services, reported that the Medical Center's net income through May was $500,000 before Charleston Memorial Hospital losses. Cash analysis through May was a negative $4.1 million. This figure should be positive by June. She commended the staff for their hard work in mitigating a $40 million ($50 million with disproportionate share) loss sustained during fiscal year 1998-1999. She also announced the board's approval of a resolution allowing the Authority to borrow short-term funds to assist with the working capital needs during the transition. Authority Human Resources Update Susan Carullo, manager of Employment, Compensation and Employee Relations, reviewed human resources changes that will take place with the Authority implementation on July 1. Training is scheduled for business managers. Changes include a simplified posting process, a streamlined position description/performance evaluation document (i.e., no state-related fields), streamlined secondary employment (formerly “dual employment”) guidelines, and a one-year trial period following reclassifications or promotions. The new human resources policy manual is scheduled to be distributed the week of June 26 and will be accessible through the Intranet. As reported in a previous newsletter, the Authority will mimic the state's general increase and merit plans for fiscal year 2000-2001. In the future, greater emphasis will be placed on performance pay. Following are the key elements of the general increase and merit plans for fiscal year 2000-2001: 2.5 percent general increase for all employees, except unclassified management, effective on the July 11 paycheck for hourly paid (biweekly) and July 31 paycheck for employees paid on a monthly basis. 1 percent average merit pay in January 2001 to be automated through the payroll system (no PEAR forms required) for all employees, except unclassified management, based on their most recent performance appraisal rating. (Meets = .5 percent; Exceeds = 1 percent; Substantially Exceeds = 1.5 percent) Unclassified management will be considered for the combination general increase/merit pay effective January 2001 at the same funding level (PEAR forms required) as other employees. Paycheck Questions/Authority Conversion The Authority conversion will officially take place July 1, 2000. For purposes of the payroll cycles, salaried (monthly paid) employees will convert July 1, which will be reflected in the July 31 paycheck. Hourly paid (biweekly) employees will convert July 2, which will be reflected in the July 25 paycheck. Questions concerning paycheck stubs (i.e., leave or pay) can be addressed by calling the following numbers: Human Resources/Benefits: 792-0826 or 792-1208; Payroll: 792-5245 or 792-2035. State Recall Rights for Authority Employees Medical Center employees in permanent positions who convert to the Authority will have state recall rights for one year. This means that an employee who terminates employment with the Authority and is hired by the University or another state agency will have sick leave reinstated, may have some or all annual leave reinstated by purchasing its value, and will have state service reinstated with no break indicated. MUSC Intranet Laurie Zone-Smith, R.N., MSN, manager of special projects, Clinical Services Administration, and Michael Irving, M.S., manager of patient care systems, Clinical Services Administration, gave an overview of the new MUSC Intranet site, an employee resource that includes Medical Center news, JCAHO updates, organizational charts, training resources, policies and other important information. Access to the Intranet is available through the patient care section of www.musc.edu.