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Currents To Medical Center Employees: At the July 13 communication meeting Chris Malanuk, Medical Center  Director of Strategic Planning, gave an update on the phase I facility. Details regarding the project and schedule are highlighted below. During the past year a great deal of work has gone into planning the new phase I hospital facility, including efforts to arrange for financing of this major project. MUSC completed a financial feasibility study as a component of our application for U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) insured bonds. The HUD support is needed to enable an affordable interest rate. We were hopeful to gain HUD approval of our application and financing by May 2004. We realized that our schedule was aggressive considering the size of the project. Recently HUD requested that we update our feasibility study to include our most recent financial performance and projections. Unfortunately, this will delay the financial approval process. We remain hopeful that approval for the HUD backed bonds will be obtained within the next few months.  On another matter, at the July 13 communication meeting Wayne Brannan, University Director of Risk Management, gave the management team an overview of our workers’ compensation program. As indicated below, we have a very impressive award winning track record.  However, the Medical Center has most recently experienced dramatically escalating costs.  While the numbers of injuries have been relatively low, the types of the injuries have been very costly. The high costs of workers’ compensation directly impact our operating margin. I am asking everyone’s attention and efforts to ensure for a safe working environment and to take other measures needed to bring these costs under control. Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center   Employee injury rate lowest in South Carolina Office of Risk Management’s director Wayne Brannan told Medical Center administrators and managers gathered for their weekly communications meeting Tuesday that both MUSC’s hospital and its university are at least 50 percent below the national average in lost work day and restricted work days due to injuries.  “We won the S.C. Occupational Safety Council Award in 2003,” Brannan said, “and MUSC was the only hospital and university to receive the award this year.” A second award, a Commendation of Excellence Award presented by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, is presented to organizations whose lost day injury and illness rate is below 1. “Both MUSC and the MUHA received the award this year for the fifth year in a row,” he said. “The Hospital Authority rate for 2003 is .28. No other hospital or university received the award this year.” Brannan listed the committees and their chairs who worked to make the stellar achievements possible: EOC—Alonzo Nesmith and the JCAHO Compliance. Injuries Task Force—Alonzo Nesmith and MSD reduction; Worksite Evaluations; Lift Team; Stand and Stretch; PT visits after MSD; Awareness; Slips, Trips, Falls. Blood Borne Pathogen—Cheryl Brian and Reducation of BBP exposures; Post exposure follow-ups; Enforcement of exposure control plan; Safety Devices; Training. Product Evaluation—Mary Santana and Evaluation of Needleless systems; Evaluation of safety devices. PAMIC—Wayne Brannan and Streamlined reporting of MUSC injuries; Systematic approach to injury investigation. Brannan presented the two awards to Nesmith who accepted them on behalf of the Medical Center. “That’s the good news,” Brannan said, implying a downside to the deserved self congratulations. “While the number of losses, or claims, has decreased, the dollars for the losses—the cost—have increased dramat-ically.” He said the figure is upwards of $500,000 in Workers’ Compen-sation costs due to worksite injuries and illnesses. Brannan said that the costs are cumulative and carry from one year to the next as long as the injured worker is out of work. Also the cost per claim is on the increase. “We spent $1,284,128.59 for MUHA claims in health care costs and lost time in calendar year 2003,” he said. Brannan listed the Transitional Duty Sub-Committee members whose job it is to return workers to duty—“It can be anywhere,” he said. They are: The chair, Eric Frish of Human Resources; Barbara Burke of Clinical Services; Julie Adam of Clinical Services; Joye Veitch of Employee Health; and Nancy Sifford of Workers’ Compensation. New Hospital Project Update To update the Medical Center administrators and managers on progress toward construction of the new hospital, phase one, Chris Malanuk of Hospital Administration recapped the listing of phase one components:  156 beds for cardiovascular and digestive disease services (includes 32 ICU beds)  9 operating rooms including one equipped with fixed equipment for vascular surgery  3 electrophysiology labs, 4 interventional/diagnostic cath labs, 2 interventional radiology labs (plus a third IR lab equipped with CT)  9 endoscopy suites (including high tech ERCP and EUS suites) and 2 motility rooms  Outpatient clinics (to accommodate approximately 120,000 visits) and associated faculty offices  Specialized chest pain center (includes observation beds)  Imaging capacity to include 2 diagnostic CTs, 1 interventional CT, 1 diagnostic MRI, 3 nuclear cameras, 3 RF rooms, and space for new modality to serve chest pain center and outpatient cardio-diagnostics.  In a review of critical tasks, Malanuk was pleased to list a number of tasks as on schedule or task completed.  City of Charleston—on schedule. Next steps: Secure funding for interim and permanent traffic signals  Veterans Administration Lease of Doughty Street—task completed  Financial Feasibility—task was completed until HUD requested updated information. Next steps: Preparing comprehensive update to feasibility study, expected to be completed by the end of July  Certificate of Need—on schedule/task completed  HUD 242 Financing—behind schedule. Next steps: Project will be referred to credit committee after submission of updated feasibility study; Expect commitment to insure late September (delayed from May 5); Expect to close loan/issue bonds 30-60 days after commitment.  Property Acquisition—behind schedule (no impact). Next steps: Proceed with negotiated purchases of county property (approved by Charleston County Council March 23), Health Science Foundation to purchase garage; Complete approval process for all easements  Highway and Traffic Issues—delayed. Next steps: Approval/adoption of 30 percent CD drawings by city and SCDOT; Secure approval of a federal appropriation for $63 million to support master plan build-out in the transportation bill ($16.5M requested to support phase 1 project).  Relocate Activities in Portion of Student Wellness Center Slated for Demolition—behind schedule. Next steps: Demolish south wings of Student Wellness Center by September (delayed from April, pending receipt of commitment to insure)  Building Design and Construction - on schedule. Next steps: Complete construction documents; Begin site work.  Malanuk said that the Hospital Authority should be able to take occupancy within 39 months following the start of construction (January 2008).  New Administrator of Facilities and Capital Improvement A welcome was extended to Dennis Frazier.        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.