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Currents To Medical Center Employees: Plans have been made to conduct a mock Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) survey on Feb. 26, 27 and 28. The survey will be conducted by JCAHO consultants who have worked with us in recent years including Shirley Cunningham, Lois Kerr, Ode Keil and Kathy Wade.  The survey, which will encompass the Main Hospital, IOP, CMH, Rutledge Tower and McClennan Banks, will focus upon JCAHO’s top areas of concern and upon recommendations from the most recent JCAHO survey conducted in November 2000. A survey schedule will be issued soon.  Significantly, we are almost 18 months into the three-year survey cycle.  This mock survey will identify our strengths as well as areas that need attention. Everyone’s cooperation will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center   Employees, staff encouraged to complete surveys MUSC Medical Center employees are encouraged to complete two online surveys—one that focuses on information management and one that focuses on patient safety. “Participation in the survey is important,” said Christine Lewis, manager, Coding and Record Processing Health Info Services, in reference to the Information Management Plan Needs Assessment Survey. “The more who participate, the better the results.” The survey seeks employee and staff input on matters of patient confidentiality, library services, communication, comparisons to outside organizations and management of information. A survey is administered on at least an annual basis to ensure compliance with Joint Commission requirements, Lewis said, speaking at the Feb. 5 communications meeting. “It will help us determine barriers to patient communication and to make sure that matters are documented accurately and in a timely fashion,” she added. There are four types of data the hospital uses to improve patient care, decision making and hospital operations: Patient-specific data such as medical record documentation Knowledge-based data such as the library and educational material for our patients and staff Aggregate data such as census, billing and infection control reports Comparative data provided by internal and external sources such as patient satisfaction surveys  Lewis said the survey will help to produce a list of short- and long-term recommendations and priorities for improving the information management function. The survey can be accessed online at http://www.musc.edu/ccit/survey.html or by contacting Lewis at 792-3924. Patient Safety Survey A Patient Safety Survey is currently being distributed throughout the hospital. “We are encouraging all members of the organization to complete the survey, including clinical faculty and residents,” said Rosemary Ellis, director of quality. The survey will be sent out in broadcast e-mail and can also be accessed from the MUSC.edu homepage using either Netscape or IE browser. Results from this survey will be used to complete the Patient Safety Program and the findings will be distributed to the Management Team. Ellis also presented the entries to the Patient Safety logo contest that was announced before the holidays. Four entries were displayed, then voted on by the Management Team. The winner of the contest is Mary C. Allen, Environmental Quality Control coordinator, whose design features a “Safety 1st” ribbon with the words—Customer Satisfaction, Care of the Patient, Cost Effective. “We are coupling the introduction of the logo with our quality and patient safety efforts,” Ellis said. “Patient safety has become a national focus in health care, and MUSC Hospital Leadership has put patient safety at the forefront of all of our efforts.” The survey can be accessed online at http://www.itlab.musc.edu/cgi-bin/ms/Survey?option=PatientSafety. For more information, contact Ellis at 792-0855. Update on Institute of Psychiatry management Joan Herbert, administrator for the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP), presented an updated organizational chart for IOP that shows some changes in the alignment of positions and the scope of responsibilities. Of particular note, Linda Lewis and Harriet Cooney are both designated clinical directors. The position of financial manager has also been filled. Herbert gave an early announcement that Peggy Thompson has been named to the position.