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April 27, 1999

On April 26, a subcommittee of the state House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee conducted a public hearing at MUSC Institute of Psychiatry concerning the Medical Center Hospitals and Clinics Authority Bill. (The purpose of the bill is to provide flexibility for the management and operation of the Medical Center. Our hospitals and clinics would be exempt from state laws governing procurement, capital improvement and personnel regulations.) The hearing provided an opportunity for public comment. Among others, a number of Medical Center employees offered comments, including: Cindy Brown and Ray Manigault from Radiology Services, Pam French from Institute of Psychiatry, Carol McDougall from Clinical and Patient Education, and Erica Rouvalis from Physical Therapy. Their comments in support of the bill were well received, and I'd like to express my appreciation.

More recently, the Ways and Means Committee acted favorably on the authority bill. This means the bill will be addressed on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The consideration process for any bill is quite involved. In order to be properly considered, a bill must be read on the floor on three occasions, on three separate days. Assuming the House of Representatives acts favorably on the authority bill, it will be sent to the state Senate for consideration.

The General Assembly adjourns in early June. In order to pass, the bill will need to be acted on during May. If the bill passes, we expect that the actual conversion to an authority structure could take place in January or July 2000. We have a lot of work to do to prepare for a conversion.

The bill enables employees to remain in the state retirement and insurance plans. It gives the Medical Center the flexibility to customize our personnel policies to meet our needs. While we'll rely on the “Me Issues Committee” to make recommendations for a new paid time off plan in the future, employees will not be required to forfeit any accrued annual or sick leave. Hopefully, we will have an incentive-based leave plan in the future that is similar to other progressive hospitals' plans.

We will continue to communicate the bill's progress. Assuming the bill progresses well, we'll solicit and address all questions to encourage communication.

W. Stuart Smith,

Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center

Combined Position Description and EPMS

• Susan Carullo, manager of Employment, Compensation and Employee Relations, presented an overview of the combined position description and EPMS forms for management and nonmanagement positions. The forms will go through a pilot phase before they are available for widespread use.
• Jim Schaffner, project programmer for CCIT, gave a demonstration of the electronic employee personnel database, which managers and directors ultimately will use to complete position descriptions and employee evaluations.

Planning for Medical Emergencies

• Sue Pletcher, director of Patient Access Services, distributed posters and other information about planning for and responding to medical emergencies that could occur in the Medical Center. If you need immediate assistance for a medical emergency in the Medical Center, dial 792-3333. If you would like to receive more information about preparing for medical emergencies, please contact Cynthia Washington at 792-6902.

Product Acquisition

• John Franklin, director of Support Services, is leading a work group that will review the product purchase process. The group's goals are to reduce patient risk through the standardization of products in inpatient and outpatient areas, and to contain costs.
• Beginning June 1, the team will analyze all products in each clinical area to ensure standardization and best pricing. All new product requisitions must be submitted to the Products Evaluation Committee for approval. The product evaluation coordinator must be involved in all product trials. Please contact Mary Santana at 792-3981 for additional information.

JCAHO Update

• Vivian Gettys, JCAHO program manager, presented information about the more rigorous JCAHO survey process. She reviewed the following JCAHO ‘hot buttons:’ staffing levels and competencies, medication control, supervision of contracted services, infection control practices, supervision of house staff, securing and using information from autopsies, and Y2K preparation.
• Gettys said MUSC teams are addressing a variety of Joint Commission accreditation issues. Some of the priority areas include patient confidentiality, medication use, the medical record system, staff competency assessment, and environment of care issues. She noted that it's important to implement any major changes related to the JCAHO standards by August 1999 in order to achieve full compliance for the August 2000 survey.

Announcements

Compliance

• Reece Smith, manager of compliance, reminded managers and directors that completed compliance training rosters are due in the Compliance Office by May 15.

Keane

• Lisa Montgomery, administrator of Financial Services, thanked all staff members who have devoted extra time and effort while the Keane system has been down.

Department of Health Administration and Policy Graduate Programs

• The Department of Health Administration and Policy offers two graduate programs that are ideal for individuals seeking to enhance their health care careers: the master's in health information administration program and the master's in health administration program.

• Evening courses are available to accommodate working professionals. Qualified MUSC employees may be eligible for tuition assistance through their respective departments. Both master's programs are currently accepting applications for summer and fall classes. For more information, please call Kelly Long, DHAP student services coordinator, at 792-8510, or visit DHAP's website at www.musc.edu/hap.

Y2K

• Be prepared! Call 792-9526 for year 2000 information.