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Currents To MUSC Employees: At the April 9 MUSC Board of Trustees meeting I gave an update on our activity levels through March. I reported increased volumes compared to last year’s activity for the same time frame including: admissions (+3.6 percent); outpatient visits (+6.1percent); emergency room visits (+8.1 percent); main operating room cases (+5.8 percent); ambulatory care operating room cases (+8.7 percent); MRI procedures (+16.5 percent); and CT procedures (+17.3 percent). Also, I shared with the board that the month of March was our busiest month ever in terms of hospital charges, cash collections and other measures. Everyone is to be commended for working hard to achieve such exceptional activity levels while providing high quality and compassionate care. One of the Medical Center’s major goals for fiscal year 2003-2004 is to achieve financial targets necessary for funding the Phase I new hospital facility and we need to improve our margin next year. In keeping with this goal, we will continue our efforts to instill a “cost conscious culture.” As indicated in Lisa Montgomery’s comments below in this newsletter, we face a number of challenges but our performance in terms of activity levels is encouraging.  Finally, as we enter into the final quarter of this fiscal year, the entire management team including all business officers and concerned administrative support staff need to take action now to prevent a phenomenon that we refer to as the “June surprise.” This surprise has occurred in the past when expenditures rose dramatically right before the end of the year. To avoid this surprise all processing of expenditures need to be kept up-to-date. Even if a department holds off on payment of purchases made during this final quarter it still accrues this year. Any surprise will adversely affect our financial margin.  Thanks to all for a job well done. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and  Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center   Montgomery presents financial update Finance and Support Services administrator Lisa Montgomery briefed those gathered for their weekly communications meeting on the Medical Center’s financial status.  While net income is slightly behind budget, Montgomery expects to end the year with approximately $16 million as required for the feasibility study. Cash is still under budget mainly due to the delay in receiving disproportionate share payments as well as the $11 million already spent in connection with the new hospital project.  Money spent on the new hospital project will be reimbursed when financing for the project is complete. Also, she expects to receive the remainder of the disproportionate share payments by the end of the fiscal year.  Montgomery presented benchmark data  showing that MUSC is slightly below the University Health/System Consortium average for charges per adjusted discharge and is slightly higher on expenses per adjusted discharge. Cash on hand is significantly below average, but she hopes to be closer to the average of 18 days when the disproportionate share funding is received and the financing for the new hospital is complete. “If the Medical Center is on budget at the end of the fiscal year, our operating margin should be approximately 3 percent, which is in line with the UHC  average,” Montgomery said. Rutledge Parking During certain hours of the week, cars are lining up on Rutledge Avenue for lack of adequate outpatient parking, said Ambulatory Care Services administrator Dave Neff. The problem extends to G-lot, where patient and visitor parking remains at a premium. Some of our patients are arriving late, which affects our ability to operate our clinics efficiently, and on occasion, some of our patients have to be reappointed.  To improve the situation, Neff said that vendors, pharmaceutical repre-sentatives, and equipment sales people will be redirected to PG-1 across from the Clinical Science Building. Also, signs will be changed to indicate that the Rutledge Tower parking is primarily for patients. “Our hope is that this will help us with the parking situation for patients,” Neff said. “We’re a little bit reluctant to start moving employees and faculty around before taking this approach.” He asked that people who validate parking tickets follow proper protocol. “Staff and faculty are not supposed to have their parking tickets validated, unless they are patients or accompanying patients to the Medical Center. They are supposed to be parking in their assigned parking spots.” Neff said that the Rutledge Tower parking deck tends to have more cars on rainy days. “We suspect there may be more employees and/or Medical University faculty parking there on those days.” He said that the situation is creating inefficiencies for Ambulatory Care Services, and he urged those present to ask their employees to park in their assigned spaces. It was noted that some employees have been using their relatives’ handicapped placards inappropriately, tying up handicapped parking spaces designated for patients. With the Charleston High School construction underway and planned renovation of the first floor of Rutledge Tower, still more handicapped parking is being used and will have to be replaced.  “We are working on a plan with Parking Management to identify more handicapped parking spaces,” Neff said. Friday, April 16, 2004 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.