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Currents To Medical Center Employees: The management development and specialty service training as previously communicated is underway and will continue throughout the year. All managers, directors and administrators will be expected to participate in a fairly intense training schedule over the next several months and Aspecialty training@ will begin for designated groups such as registration and dietary staff in the near future. The training seminars focus upon a variety of topics including effective communication, maximizing our potential as an organization through change, customer service and team building.     In our initial management training seminar(s) we are seeking to "map the gap" by determining where we are versus where we should be in terms of organizational performance. For instance, the preliminary feedback indicates that we need to do a better job by providing managers with tools to ensure prospective new hires understand and embrace our customer service goal. Also, we need to ensure that we use technology wisely to enhance, not detract from a customer's experience.     As an element of our training program, we will devote more time to customer service discussions during our new hire general orientation program. We will be making this change to our general orientation beginning July 29, 2002.     I thank you all for your commitment and dedication. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center   Redesigned budget variance reports to be completed monthly The full-time equivalent (FTE)/budget variance report required by Joint Commission has been redesigned for the new fiscal year. Vicki Marsi, business manager for the Digestive Disease Center and a member of the Variance Report Task Force, briefed the management team on changes at the July 16 communications meeting.   An interdisciplinary team including, Connie Alge, Helena Bastian, John Davis, Dianne Gay, Steven Godbold, Pamela Marek, Vicki Marsi, Karen McHugh, Margaret Murphy and Neil Veloso, met over the past few months to discuss the new report.   Like the previous version, the new report has one section for comparing FTE budgeted numbers to actual FTEs paid, and another section for the expenditures. The new report, however, will group together like-occupation codes into one category and only require one justification per roll-up. For example, clinical nurse, clinical nurse coordinator and clinical nurse leader occupation codes would be combined into one category for “registered nurse.”   The new report will also allow for the inclusion of contract personnel utilization. By combining appropriate occupation codes, the justification of the variance from the budget should become more relevant. A justification will only be required on variances of +/- 5 percent and greater than .5 FTEs. Likewise, the expense accounts were grouped into seven major categories for the new report. Only one justification will be needed for each grouping for variances +/- 5 percent and greater than $1,000.   New features appearing above the personnel data include the addition of “unit of service” data, hours worked comparisons and paid time off percentages.  This new information should help the managers in explaining major variances in the data. The “unit of service” for each cost center will be the same elements that have already been identified in the HBSI comparisons. The benchmark information will come from the University Hospital Consortium database. If additional unit of service elements or comparison data is needed, it can easily be added to the report.   “We realize this will be refined over the next couple of months,” Marsi said. “If you find you need to have another category broken out, let us know.”   The information used in the report will be gathered electronically, and the report will be distributed to each of the areas via email as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The report is to be completed monthly and kept in the departments.  A roll-up report for each director area will also be distributed and reviewed monthly.   The roll out date is scheduled for the first part of August, to be used on July data.   Adult medical surgical unit implements orders, documentation training dates set Discharge orders and Interdisciplinary Progress Notes were implemented by the adult medical surgical units June 25, according to Nancy Davidson, Clinical Services coordinator.   Documentation training schedules for the adult medical surgical units also are being developed, with classes available during the week of August 19. Implementation is expected on Aug. 27.   Critical Care and Pediatric teams are working on adapting the documentation forms to meet their area needs. Completion goal is in September. “We’re on a fast track to get this done,” Davidson said. Organization assessment surveys to be completed The organizational assessment surveys, which were distributed the week of July 15, need to be completed and returned by July 31, announced Rosemary Ellis, director of Quality.  The survey, which asks 156 questions regarding employee attitudes about job satisfaction, productivity, management, physician environment, compensation and parking, is being circulated to employees throughout the medical center as a part of its efforts to improve the working environment.   Departments still needing to pick up surveys, please come to Annette DeVeaux’s office at 262 North Tower.    “When we did this a couple of years ago, we had an excellent response rate,” said Hal Currey, administrator for capital projects. “We would appreciate you getting surveys in quickly.”   Surveys need to be placed in campus mail by July 31 in the envelopes provided. Mail to: James S Zoller, Ph.D. Director, Survey Research Unit Department of Health Administration & Policy Medical University of South Carolina 19 Hagood Ave.; Suite 408 PO Box 250807 Charleston, SC 29425   For more information, contact Ellis at 792-0855. Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.