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Currents At our Jan. 18 communications meeting, J. Bayne Selby, M.D., interventional radiologist and medical director for MUSChealth.com, and Kelly Roberts, web master for MUSChealth.com, gave an interesting presentation about MUSC's consumer web site.  Mr. Roberts pointed out that the number of site visitors ("hits") has remained high since the web site's launch last September. Dr. Selby explained that the health care industry has lagged behind other industries in terms of Internet development.  However, the health care industry probably will move through the evolutionary phases of web usage faster, because we have had the chance to observe other industries.  Dr. Selby suggested that we can move quickly from this point and reap the benefits, or continue to lag behind and be dragged into it. This newsletter outlines highlights from the presentation. Various work teams continue to prepare for the Medical University Hospital Authority. We plan to implement the authority July 1, subject to an implementation resolution by our board of trustees.  Even though the authority will be in effect, we expect to resolve various shared service matters through a year-long, phased process. MUSC leadership is committed to the well-being of employees with the authority implementation. The Authority Act enables employees to remain in the state insurance and retirement plans. Plans are underway for a paid-time-off (PTO) policy, which will be similar to policies established by other employers in our area.  The new policy will replace our current, state-mandated annual, sick and holiday policies. The PTO policy will put annual, sick and holiday leave into a single "leave bank." Additionally, some leave will be earmarked for extended illness. The policy will provide certain incentives. No employee will be required to lose any accrued leave as a result of the PTO policy. All accrued leave may convert to the PTO plan. We continue to work out the details.  The MUSC board of trustees recently approved a new grievance policy for the authority. The policy was developed with the guidance of the Me Issues Committee. The policy enables a faster, more streamlined resolution of complaints or grievances, and gives the grievance panel, made up of authority employees, the power to uphold or overturn adverse actions. The Authority Act requires the State Budget and Control Board's approval of the grievance policy. We expect approval soon.  The authority governance model will place MUSC in a better position to fulfill its education, patient care and research mission.  In the near future, we will conduct a communication campaign to address human resources, shared services and other issues related to the authority. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center MUSC website offers up-to-date information on health care MUSChealth.com  J. Bayne Selby, M.D., and Kelly Roberts presented information about MUSC's participation in the evolving field of electronic health care. Monumental shifts are occurring with Internet usage. Cost, convenience and generational lifestyle drive these changes.  The health care field has been behind the curve in embracing information technology. Health care business processes remain labor-intensive, with significant duplication of effort. Consumers on the Internet want information they can trust and rapid access to medical care. Selby said electronic health care offers numerous benefits, including re-establishing direct contact with patients, cutting supply costs, interacting with new patients, and enhancing MUSC's status as a health care leader.  Last September, MUSC launched the first phase of a new, consumer-focused web site, MUSChealth.com.  The new site—which is separate from the musc.edu site—offers consumers the following options: access breaking medical news, request an appointment, find a physician, ask a nurse a medical question, learn about clinical trials, research health topics and register for MUSC programs. MUSChealth.com currently is in its second phase of operation, with plans for more interactive pages, an online physician directory, an "ask a pharmacist" feature, physician forums, online "Checkup" newsletter, pages for individual departments, and partnering opportunities with local media and other web sites. As of last October, the "ask a nurse" feature brought 12 new patients to MUSC. These 12 patients had 14 encounters with eight different MUSC services. The web site continues to draw new patients to MUSC.  MUSChealth.com demographics: 65 percent of visitors to the site are women; 52 percent of visitors to the site are between the ages of 40 and 59.