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Currents To Medical Center Employees: I am pleased to announce that Bill Spring has recently agreed to accept the Interim Heart Center Administrator position. This position recently became vacant with Charles Winstead's retirement. Bill's appointment as interim heart center administrator will ensure for continued strong leadership. Bill came to MUSC two and one-half years ago to accept the Heart and Vascular Center Director position.  Prior to joining MUSC he was employed with the Christus System (Catholic Health) headquartered in Dallas. Bill holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and M. S. degree from the University of Colorado. His career includes extensive experience in management of cardiovascular programs and services.  Since his arrival at the Medical Center, Bill has played a key role in planning and opening of the new Heart and Vascular Center facilities located on the Children’s Hospital 5th floor. He has been highly successful with patient satisfaction initiatives and he has spearheaded efforts to enhance the public’s awareness of the high quality cardiovascular primary services at MUSC.  Please join me in welcoming Bill to this important role.  Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center JCAHO readiness, MUSC policy updates Lois Kerr, JCAHO consultant, and Kathy Wade, JCAHO surveyor, held an “Ask the Experts” question and answer session with managers at the July 29 communications meeting.  Kerr announced that in addition to the many JCAHO preparedness outlets already in existence, like the Medical Center/JCAHO Web site on the intranet, Kerr and Wade plan to host “Ask the Experts” sessions throughout the upcoming months. Individual staff members may come to an open forum and ask questions concerning JCAHO standards.  For more information, contact Kerr at kerrl@musc.edu. In related JCAHO news, Fred Miles, Plant Maintenance, told managers that he has a plethora of locks in his possession, including combination and key locks, to put on all medical refrigerators.  While JCAHO only requires that these fridges be “very secure,” DHEC in South Carolina requires locks, so MUSC will be graded on the more stringent standard come survey time in November.  To acquire locks, contact Miles at 792-7891 or milesf@musc.edu. Rosemary Ellis, Quality director, updated managers on policy changes and revisions including: A-35 Managing Automated Data and Information. Revised to reflect current methods utilized to protect patient information and confidentiality. Contact Sue Pletcher, Finance and Support Services, at 792-8136 for more information. A-68 Product Evaluation.  Revised to accurately evaluate product use. For more information, contact John Franklin, Finance and Support Services, at 792-9526.  C-01 Patient Rights and Responsibilities. Revised to include patient’s right to pain management, access to protective services, and to include patient safety information. Contact Ellis at 792-0855 for more information. C-29 Medical Record Authorized Entries. Revised to reflect current procedures for authorized entries of patient information into the medical record. Contact Pletcher at 792-8136. C-34 Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) Infection.  Revised to reflect current procedures in place to decrease and manage exposure to infection. Contact Pam Fogle, Infection Control, at 792-4308. C-65 Patient and Family Education.  Revised to reflect current procedure and resources for patient and family education efforts. For more information, contact Karen Rankine, Clinical and Patient Education, at 792-5078. Human Resources Staffing Indicators Mary Allen, Quality Management, presented an update on the Medical Center’s progress in fulfilling the JCAHO Staffing Effectiveness standard (HR .2.1).  The indicators selected for measurement at the beginning of last fiscal year included patient satisfaction correlated with worked hours and employee turnover correlated with reported medication errors. The findings indicate no significant correlation between patient satisfaction and worked hours. There was only a mild correlation between turnover and reported medication errors.  Staffing indicators will continue to be monitored and findings will be reported to the Quality Council monthly and annually to the Board of Trustees.  Additional staffing effectiveness measures are underway to examine staffing variance and nurse intensity data. Allen was commended for her tireless efforts in analyzing the data and preparing reports for the Quality Council and others.  Blood Drop-in Planned Annie Lovering, American Red Cross, announced to managers the upcoming Blood Drop-in celebration and awards ceremony to take place in the cafeteria Aug. 14.  The celebration (with refreshments) begins at 2 p.m. with an awards ceremony at 2:30 p.m., all in an effort to honor those people who donated blood or attempted to donate at MUSC since July 2002.  If you are one of these people and have not received a personal invitation, contact Lovering at 792-0219 or at loverina@musc.edu.