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To Medical Center Employees:
At the Aug. 16 communications meeting Marilyn Schaffner, administrator, Clinical Services, updated the management team on posters being distributed to ensure everyone is familiar with procedures to comply with the Blackman Hospital Patient Safety Act. This new law was passed by the S. C. General Assembly effective June 8 and is now being enforced.
 
The law consists of three primary elements that enhance patients’ and their families’ ability to identify the professional roles of health care providers and to contact the  primary attending physician or the appropriate on-call attending  physician:
  • Name Badges must clearly identify the name, department and job or trainee title of our employees and medical staff. All clinical trainees, medical students, and resident physicians must be explicitly identified as trainees on their badges. The Medical Center is now revising all badges to conform with the law.
  • Hospitals must inform patients that trainees will be participating in patient care and that the attending physician is the caregiver responsible for the care provided. The Medical Center now provides patients with a brochure on admission to the inpatient hospital and at the time of registration for outpatient surgery that explains the roles of trainees, attending physicians, and other caregivers.
  • Patients and families must be provided means to contact the attending physician or appropriate on-call attending physician either through requests to hospital staff or by receipt of the paging operators’ telephone number. All staff must comply with reasonable requests of patients and families to contact the attending.  The staff member must contact the attending physician or appropriate on-call  attending physician when so requested by the patient and/or family member.
 Dr. John Heffner, medical director, and Annette Drachman, director of Legal Affairs, led a group effort to ensure compliance with the Blackman Hospital Patient Safety Act.  I appreciate everyone’s hard work. As we move forward we will go the extra mile and exceed the “letter of the law” to demonstrate to all patients and families our commitment to patient safety and service excellence.
 
Thank you very much.


W. Stuart Smith
Vice President for Clinical Operations
and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center

Parking Management updates garage space

Office of Parking Management director Melinda Anderson said that although the transition of patients to the newly opened parking facility on Ashley Avenue has progressed more slowly than anticipated, it should be completed by the end of August.
 
“It’s now about half and half,” she said, explaining that the transition has to be handled gently and in a way that doesn’t unduly inconvenience the patients. “We don’t want them to tie up traffic trying to turn around and we certainly don’t want to make them late for their appointments.” She said that her staff is actively helping redirect patients where possible and explaining where they should park at their next visit. Ambulatory Care scheduling staff have been asked to make a special effort to direct patients to the new garage
 
Continuing with a list of parking updates, Anderson said that after-hours parking would be moving to the new parking garage on Ashley Ave., probably during the annual September parking re-registration period.
 
The Rutledge Tower surface lot will be closed for renovation beginning on Monday, Aug. 22. The renovation project will include landscaping and the construction of a covered walkway from the Ashley-Rutledge Parking Garage to Rutledge Tower and will take about six weeks to complete.
   
She reminded that classes resuming next week marks a peak time for parking, particularly in the Hagood lot and the free parking system served by MUSC shuttle buses. There are about 1,300 free spaces in the free parking system. The locations are listed on the parking Web page, http://www.musc.edu/parking. Click on “commuter park and ride locations.”
 
The design for the phase-1 garage on Courtenay and Bee streets has been completed and funding arrangements are underway. That garage will add 1,500 spaces to the MUSC parking system.
 
The helicopter pad under construction on the top floor of Employee Parking Garage 2 is “essentially complete.”
 
Anderson said that negotiations are underway with the city’s CARTA bus system to form a partnership that would benefit both the city and MUSC. The newly reinstated CARTA system provides a viable transportation option for many now. In January, express routes and additional neighborhood routes will be added, making mass transportation a more viable transportation option for MUSC employees and students. She said she anticipates that the greater benefit now would be for students, but added, “We can build up, but we are otherwise limited on the peninsula. At some point, as the population continues to grow and parking becomes more expensive, people will have to turn to public transportation.”
                       
Tactical Plan Update
Nick Whichard, the Heart Center’s information services manager, gave an overview of the Heart and Vascular Center’s automated systems, listing the wealth of technology used to take care of the patient.
 
 “One component of that technology is the cardio-vascular information system, called Apollo. This database,” Whichard said, “contains a compilation of data used for research, reporting, and tracking.”
 
In addition, several Siemens and GE Bio-med devices work in conjunction with other systems in capturing, reviewing, storing, and retrieving data.  This technology is designed so that the physician and clinician can better serve the patient, he said. 
 
For more information concerning the technologies used by the Heart Center, please contact Nick Whichard (whicharn@musc.edu). 
 
Paul Bush, Pharm.D., co-chair of the Internal Communication Workgroup, reviewed the group’s initiatives and updated the group’s progress, beginning with the need to “hardwire excellence.” Getting a message out means being relentless, Bush said. He said that employees should communicate at all levels by “managing up,” or positioning people well. He gave the example of taking a patient to a doctor and preparing the patient for a positive experience by relating the doctor’s expertise. He also covered employee forums, communication boards and storytelling.
 
Bush pointed out the Medical Center Communications Meeting Web page, http://www.musc.edu/medcenter/communication_meeting/index.htm, located in the manager’s toolbox on the Medical Center intranet.
 
Another communication tool are the broadcast messages from both the university and the Medical Center. They include e-mail messages reserved for targeted Medical Center messages from the vice president/executive director or administrators. Also, Medical Center communications alerts can be sent to Stephanie Davis in hospital administration, daviss@musc.edu, for timed distribution to a list of intended recipients.

To subscribe or submit a broadcast message go to http://www.musc.edu/broadcast.

HR Updates
  • Employee Survey—Helena Bastian, director of Human Resources reminded everyone to encourage employees to complete the Employee Survey. The Computer Lab located in the main hospital room 271 has been reserved on Monday, Aug. 22, from noon to 2 p.m., on Wednesday, Aug. 24, from 3 to 5 p.m. and on two Fridays, Aug. 19 and 26, from 6 to 8 a.m.  The deadline for completing the survey is Aug. 26. All survey results go directly to the McNair Group’s data base and are strictly confidential.
  • First Day of School Initiative—MUSC Medical Center supports the First Day of School Initiative by the Mayor’s office and Charleston County School District.  This initiative encourages parents to take their children to school on the first day as a way of parents supporting their children and connecting with their children’s teachers.
Medical Center managers and supervisors are encouraged to allow their employees to use up to two hours of PTO or adjust work schedules to be with their children on the first day of school. It is understood that scheduling patient care cannot be compromised and that leave may not be reasonable for some direct patient care providers.  Managers and supervisors are asked to do their best to encourage employees when practical to participate in the First Day of School Initiative.
 
The First Day of School Initiative for Charleston County schools applies to Monday, Aug. 22. However, the Medical Center extends support for this initiative for the beginning date(s) of public schools in the surrounding counties and for private schools.

Heart Walk
Chris Murray, director of Business Development and Marketing Services, announced the launching of the 2005 Lowcountry Heart Walk to be held Sept. 24 at Liberty Square. The event goal is to raise $500,000 in support of the Heart Association’s effort to help protect people of all ages and ethnic origins from the ravages of heart disease and stroke.
 
The MUSC goal for the AHA event is $100,000, and MUSC is this year’s lead sponsor.
   
MUSC’s event in support of the Heart Walk will be the Heart Walk Hustle from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 9 on the campus Horseshoe and Portico. Festivities will include food and FUNd-raising with proceeds going to the American Heart Association.
 
“Last year’s hustle raised an additional $9,000 for the Heart Association. This year, it is our goal to exceed the $9,000 mark, and we need your support on Sept. 9,” Murray said.
 
“Take your chances at the dunking booth to dunk doctors, administrators, and deans, or take a moment to get a relaxing massage. 
   
“While joining in the fun of the Hustle, go to the many food vendors as festivities and fun are never complete without grabbing a bite to eat.  On the Portico, Sticky Fingers, Mama Fu’s Asian House, EVO Fire-Wood Oven Pizza, Jason’s Deli will have selections from their menus. Take your pick of dessert at the bake sale or go for ice cream served up by administration.
 
“The horseshoe will be packed with wonderful exhibits, so all can stop and shop as the Office of Volunteer and Community Services will sponsor the Arts and Crafts exhibit. A variety of homemade jewelry exhibits, paintings, embroidery items, homemade jams and jellies, wooden crafts, sweet grass baskets and much more.”
 
All proceeds of the Heart Walk Hustle will go to the AHA on behalf of MUSC to help meet the fund-raising challenge of $100,000.


 

Friday, Aug. 19, 2005
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.