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Currents The recent icy weather in the lowcountry gave us an opportunity to test our Emergency Weather Plan. I commend everyone on how well you responded. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of our recent experience was the difficulty in accurately predicting how badly our roads and bridges would be affected. In view of the uncertainties, we asked Medical Center employees to keep in touch with their supervisors, call 792-MUSC to check the status of operations and to listen to local radio and television.  Fortunately, the roads and bridges within the immediate Charleston area remained open and accessible. While there were some instances of employees having to arrive early or remain on the job a little longer, we did not have to call upon employees to remain around the clock. We collected comments about things that could have been handled better and will be following up to make improvements. Among other things, we plan to enhance the training concerning the call-in system that can be used for directors to issue department-specific information. (This call-in system is accessed through the Health Connection 792-1414 line.) Everyone is encouraged to read our policies related to Emergency Weather including: Staffing During Emergencies and Disasters, Policy A-42, Weather Emergency Plan, Policy A-64 and Human Resources Hazardous Weather and Emergencies Policy 13. Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center White House gives MUSC certificate of appreciation MUSC received a certificate of appreciation from the White House for the manner in which it prepared for President George Bush’s visit to The Citadel in December.  MUSC is the medical site designated to serve the president in the event of a health situation. Director of the White House Medical Unit Col. Richard J. Tubbs writes, “Members of the White House Medical Unit wish to express our genuine appreciation and commend you for your outstanding support during President Bush’s visit to Charleston. Your professionalism reflects great credit upon yourself and is in keeping with the highest traditions of medical service. Thank you for a job well done.” Stuart Smith, vice president for Clinical Operations and executive director of the MUSC Medical Center, presented certificates to four individuals. “This is to commend MUSC for our outstanding support during the President’s visit,” Smith said. Receiving certificates of appreciation from the White House are from left David Hutto, Ellen Ruja, Margaret Young and Al Nesmith. Receiving certificates were: David Hutto, manager, Main Operating Room; Ellen Ruja, manager, Emergency Services and Peds ER; Margaret Young, manager, Surgical/Trauma/Neuro Intensive Care Unit; and Al Nesmith, director, Safety, Security and Volunteer Services. OIG site visit expected in January The federal Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services will be on-site on Jan. 28-29, focusing on Medical Center and UMA issues. According to Reece Smith, manager, Compliance, three areas will be visited - Hospital Patient Accounting, Revenue Systems and Audit and Medical Coding. Employee interviews will also be conducted and could include employees from any area. Items to be reviewed will include the Compliance Policy, Code of Conduct, training and hotline. The OIG uses the UMA and Medical Center compliance programs as the structure for implementing various provisions of the agreement. “Make sure you have up-to-date compliance posters on your units,” Smith said.  Smith described the pending visit as similar to the validation survey conducted by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.  She said OIG officials suggested this is our opportunity to show the effectiveness of our compliance efforts over the past several years.” If you have questions, contact Smith at 792-6128. Anthrax scare provokes procedure review Following a false alarm from a woman who thought she had been infected by anthrax and showed up at the MUSC Emergency Room, MUSC hospital officials have tightened procedures for handling such situations. “One important message we need to get out is that members of the public who think they may have been exposed to anthrax or other deadly agent need to call 911,” said Ellen Ruja, manager, Emergency Services. “The potential for harm to others is greatly increased by showing up in a hospital setting.” In addition, front-line employees are being re-educated to manage such situations more effectively, Ruja said. “Decontaminating the patient and limiting exposure to others is paramount.” Computer issues being resolved The Center for Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) is working to resolve problems relating to computer shutdown and Windows 98 issues, according to Dave Moses of CCIT. He urges anyone with such problems to contact CCIT. “Maybe there are folks still out there experiencing problems who we don’t know about. We have a fix for the shutdowns. We think it’s resolved,” he said. Moses said Clinlan users would be upgrading to Windows 2000 in the near future and that new equipment is still being swapped in (Dell Gxa, Gxi and Gx1 models are being swapped for Gx150 and Gx240 models). As a word of caution, Moses encourages computer users to back up any information stored on a local machine. “Don’t make the local machine the only place your information exits. Back it up on the network,” he said. For more information, contact CCIT through the main phone number at 792-4175 or the Help Desk at 792-9700. Policy updates The FY 2001-2002 performance pay increases were effective the pay periods beginning Dec. 30, 2001, for biweekly-paid employees and Jan. 1, 2002, for monthly-paid employees.  (Pay dates of Jan. 23 and Jan. 31, respectively.)  This is in accordance with the FY 2001-2002 Performance Pay Plan that was adopted and previously communicated. Employees who were unable to receive the full performance pay increase due to having base salaries at or near the pay band maximum will receive a lump-sum payment in their next regular paycheck (Jan. 23 - biweekly / Jan. 31 - monthly), according to Susan Carullo, manager, Employment, Compensation and Employee Relations.  Carullo also noted that the Americans with Disabilities Act, covered in MUSC policy 24, has been expanded regarding issues relating to complaints. The new policy language can be reviewed on-line. New director named Colleen Corish, R.N.,  who has served as program manager for Adult Oncology at Hollings Cancer Center (HCC), has been named as clinical services director of Oncology and Medical/Surgical Services at MUSC and HCC. Marilyn Schaffner, Clinical Services administrator, made the announcement to the Management Team. Kim Gadsden, R.N.,  has been named interim manager for 10 East. She came to MUSC as a new graduate on 10 East five years ago. Recently, she has served as the senior charge RN for the unit “and has done an excellent job in that role,” said Corish, who made the announcement. .