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Currents To Medical Center Employees: The Medical Center has many “irons in the fire” as we move into the second  half of the fiscal year.  I appreciate the efforts by all throughout the Medical Center to provide excellent and compassionate care and services while we seek to continually improve. Our census continues to grow and remain at an all time high. The Bed Capacity Task Force is making progress to “oil parts of the engine” to improve patient flow. Nearly all clinical, educational and support services have important roles in this major initiative. Progress continues with the new Phase I hospital facility. The planning schedule calls for occupancy of the facility in January 2008. Additional details are highlighted below in this newsletter. We will soon kick off a planning process to maximize future space utilization for our current main hospital facility once the Phase I facility is occupied.  We will carefully evaluate the health care needs of our community and state as we plan for the future. The College of Medicine Clinical Chairs will be called upon to provide guidance.  Our tactical plan is moving along well. Major objectives focus upon financial performance; provider of choice (patient satisfaction); employer of choice (staff satisfaction); quality and safety; and information management. Numerous work groups and committees are currently involved in determining methods to implement the goals. All employees are encouraged to check out the Medical Center Intranet for updated information concerning the tactical plan. The new JCAHO standards require that we conduct a comprehensive self assessment.  Lois Kerr, accreditation manger, is leading our efforts to prepare our self assessment which must be completed by May. Efforts are underway by Clinical Services to achieve Magnet status.  Magnet hospitals must demonstrate high standards of excellence for nurses. The plan is to complete necessary work to submit the magnet application by this summer.  For additional information, check out the Medical Center’s Intranet (click “Nursing” and go to “Magnet Journey”).  Plans are being made to implement the “Get Well Network.” Under the current plan, we will have 300 beds with access to this “patient empowerment” platform which brings Internet communication to the bedside through our existing television monitors. MUSC employees may access additional information about the Get Well Network at http://www.muschealth.com/getwellnetwork.  Many other important initiatives in addition to those listed above are underway. I greatly appreciate everyone’s hard work and dedication. The future looks bright.  Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center Colossal Colon comes to town Jan. 27, 28  The Colossal Colon is coming to town Jan. 27 and 28. The Digestive Disease Center’s Vicki Marsi described CoCo, as the giant colon is affectionately known, as an incredibly life-like 40-foot long, four-foot tall, oversized model of a human colon that both children and adults can crawl through.  CoCo will be available for tours at the Charleston Maritime Center, located at 10 Wharfside Street next to the South Carolina Aquarium from 5:30 until 8 p.m. It is designed to educate the public about colorectal cancer, the second most common form of cancer in the United States.  Visitors who crawl through the Colossal Colon or look through its windows will see examples of many colon diseases, including Crohn’s disease, diverticulosis, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, cancerous and non-cancerous polyps and various stages of colon cancer. Colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States for both men and women combined, surpasses both breast and prostate cancer in mortality, second only to lung cancer in numbers of cancer deaths. Despite the fact that it is highly preventable, approximately 146,000 new cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed in 2004, and 56,000 people died from the disease. Unfortunately, many people are embarrassed to talk about colorectal cancer, which is why it’s important to share the facts: An almost equal number of men and women are diagnosed each year. Screening tests can prevent colorectal cancer. Most cases of the disease begin as non-cancerous polyps—grape-like growths on the lining of the colon and rectum. These polyps can become cancerous. Removing these polyps can prevent colorectal cancer from ever developing. Approximately 90 percent of colorectal cancers and deaths are thought to be preventable. Because polyps often have no symptoms, routine screening is important. For more information about the Colossal Colon coming to Charleston, call Vicki Marsi at 792-6866. If you would like more information about colon cancer or how to be screened, call our MED-U-NURSES at 792-1414 or 1-800-424-MUSC. Action O-I Web site  Pamela Marek reported that the Action O-I Web site is ready for data submission  for the fourth quarter of calendar year 2004 (October-December). As usual the general ledger, payroll and stats available to her have been imported into the database, Marek said. She asked that data input be completed before Feb. 18.  “As I do each quarter, I have scheduled some time in the Computer Training Room 220 Clinical Science Building, for anyone that would like a refresher or who has questions.” Marek said that the training will only take about 20 minutes a person.  The room has 17 workstations, so there should not be any issues with available times and work spaces.  “Feel free to stop by anytime on Feb. 1 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. or on Feb. 11 from 9 a.m. to noon.” Questions can be referred to Pamela Marek 792-8793, Page ID # 11821. JCAHO 2005 Lois Kerr presented “JCAHO 2005 What Can We Expect?” JCAHO now requires an annual Periodic Performance Review (PPR). Ours is currently posted on the JCAHO extranet site and must be completed by May 22. The PPR is a self assessment of all JCAHO standards and elements of performance and requires action plans for certain standards that are scored out of compliance. JCAHO will validate the PPR when it conducts its survey. Kerr said that in 2006, at any time after Jan. 1, our unannounced survey can take place. “The clock is ticking,” she warned. New for 2005 is a leadership standard that addresses overcrowding and requires a plan to recognize and reduce overcrowding conditions. She said that the primary concern with overcrowding is patient care and safety. Other 2005 changes include:  beginning in July primary verification of license and, certification, and registration will be required for employees when their job requires such. Pharmacy must have a plan in 2005 for how they are going to meet USP-NF 797 on sterile compounding.  Performance Improvement, effective in July, requires measuring effectiveness of organ donation program. Beginning in 2005 a healthcare engineer will be added to the team to evaluate some Environment of Care standards. Beginning in July all staff must be trained in how to report a patient safety or care issue. Hospital Construction With an update of progress in the hospital construction on Courtenay Drive, Chris Malanuk reviewed the Phase 1 components of the new hospital, which will add 518,000 square feet of clinical space. Phase 1 components will include: 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 noted below) 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. A stacking diagram displayed the occupants of floors. Each floor of the Diagnostic and Treatment Building is connected to the Bed Tower. Above the grade level retail space and parking will be: Cardio-Diagnostics, Chest Pain Center, Sterile Processing, Cafeteria connected to Ambulatory Clinics and Auditorium Diagnostic Imaging, Staff Support , Biomedical Engineering connected to Digestive Disease Center—Clinic and Procedure Space Heart and Vascular Procedure Space —Interventional Cardiology and Radiology connected to 11 CCU and 27 Acute Beds—Cardiology Surgery Prep and Recovery, Anesthesia connected to 21 ICU and 17 Acute Beds— Surgery Additional Bed Tower floors will include: 40 Acute Care Beds—Cardiology 40 Acute Care Beds—Surgery/ Digestive Disease Center Faculty Offices Work currently underway: Wellness Center demolition completed— beginning renovation; Widening of Charleston Center Drive; Infrastructure pile driving completed; Site demolition for CEP—began pile driving last week; Site demolition for hospital—begin pile driving in two weeks; Completed duct bank installation on McClennan-Banks Court; and Preparing for closure of Alpha/Bravo/Doughty intersection.   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.