April 9, 1998

One of the strategic goals adopted in 1993 was “cost structure.” In short, our goal was to control costs while providing the highest quality clinical care. Our operational management success over the past five years can in part be attributed to performance improvement initiatives and our focus on cost control.

The dynamics of the competitive and highly regulated health care industry have continued to place pressure on our “system.” Our outstanding clinicians have sustained high activity levels, but the competitive marketplace makes it difficult to increase revenues. Our focus on cost control must continue.

In the near future, the Medical Center administrators and I will meet for a one-day retreat to brainstorm on cost control ideas. Our objective will be to identify potential cost savings opportunities that can be achieved without adversely affecting employment. In the meantime, I would be grateful for ideas that anyone wishes to send to me. Ideas and suggestions can be sent to me at 205D Main Hospital or can be e-mailed to Mrs. Teresa Rogers (rogerste).

I will be sharing more information on cost control strategies in the future. Thank you very much.

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

Overview on Strategic Planning Initiative

• Stuart Smith presented the plans to begin the Clinical Enterprise Strategic Planning Initiative at the April 7 communications meeting. We have now completed the five-year cycle for the existing plan and have engaged the Deloitte and Touche consulting firm for analysis and guidance in preparing a new strategic plan for the clinical enterprise of the Medical University.
• Smith explained there is an ambitious target date of August for completion of recommendations for the Board of Trustees’ consideration. A steering committee, made up of representatives from throughout MUSC and including our Board of Trustees, has been appointed.
• The following list of potential issues were recommended by the Medical Center management team at a recent planning retreat. These issues will be focus points for analysis in developing the new strategic plan:
• Partnering and consolidation opportunities.
• Physician network and relationships.
• Capacity and program planning (including disease management issues).
• Information systems and management.
• Managed care readiness and financial per- formance (cost structure).
• Service excellence (organizational culture, working relationships).
• Outreach programs and community respon- siveness.
• Smith emphasized there are ways to save money (reduce costs) other than by reducing staff. Smith will continue to keep everyone posted on the progress of this planning project.

Image Campaign

• Chris Murray, director for Marketing Services, announced the rollout of the new Medical Center image campaign. The official kick-off will take place on Tuesday, April 14, at 1:30 p.m. in front on the Administration Building. All employees are encouraged to participate. There will be fun, treats and prizes.
• Television and radio commercials and spots highlighting MUSC Heart Center, MUSC Children’s Hospital, Hollings Cancer Center and the Albert Florens Storm Eye Institute have been developed. Carolina Family Care commercials also are being broadcast, and these link Carolina Family Care to the Medical University. Television monitors were set up Tuesday in many campus locations so that employees could view the ads.
• Newspaper ads will appear beginning Sunday, April 12. All television, radio, and newspaper ads will run for eight weeks.

Improving Communications

• Joan Herbert, administrator for the Institute of Psychiatry, presented the results of a recent survey concerning the communications meeting format. Herbert and the other administrators are looking for ways to make the meeting more meaningful and productive.
• Some suggestions and comments stemming from the survey include:
• Send announcements by e-mail; keep items short; include both MUSC and UMA employee recognition; make sure skill-building sessions are not too specialized for the group; include educational updates on the business of the system (for example, what MUSC is doing around the state); include more feature topics on customer service, satisfaction results; provide more managed care updates and information; have JCAHO updates at least once a month.

Announcements

• Vivian Gettys was welcomed as the new Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations program manager for Clinical Services. Gettys moved to Charleston in 1993 from Durham, N.C., where she worked at Duke University Medical Center in the Department of Community and Family Medicine. She received her bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and completed advanced degrees in medical anthropology at Vanderbilt University and in public health (maternal/child health) at the University of North Carolina. Gettys has worked in various positions in hospital, public health and managed care settings. Most recently, she was responsible for the quality management program at Healthsource and coordinated efforts leading to accreditation of the organization.

YES Campaign Celebrates 10 Years of Giving

• This year is the 10-year anniversary of the Yearly Employee Support campaign. Please join the growing number of MUSC employees who will be celebrating their commitment to MUSC and its future.
• When you make a contribution through YES, your donation improves the lives of many through research in areas such as cancer, diabetes, glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease. Your contribution will support education if you designate that it go to the library fund, scholarships and college annual funds.
• Your donation, regardless of its size, is important because it will increase the amount of outside funding MUSC receives to improve research, education and patient care programs. When foundations, corporations and individuals in our community consider making a gift to the Medical University, they look at the number of employees who make contributions annually. Your gift to any area of the university will not only improve thousands of lives, but will demonstrate internal commitment and belief in our work.
• Look for materials on this year’s campaign arriving in April. Pledge forms will also be printed in The Catalyst and are available on the Internet at the following address: http://www.musc.edu/catalyst/yesform.htm. If you have any questions or need additional forms, please contact Maureen McCartney at 792-1973.
• Drawings will be held every Friday for a chance to win dinner for two at Athens Greek restaurant, a three-month membership at the Harper Student Wellness Center, lunch for two at Hominy Grill, a free haircut at Hairkutters or a $1,000 savings bond. Turn your pledge form in as soon as possible to be automatically entered.