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Currents To Medical Center Employees: Fiscal year 2004-2005 was an exciting and challenging year. As we close out the year now is a good time to reflect upon some of our accomplishments.    During the year we were again selected by the National Research Corporation for the Consumer Choice Award for having the highest quality and image in our market. “U. S. News and World Report” named MUSC as among the nation’s best hospitals for digestive disorders. “Child Magazine” ranked the Children’s Hospital as among the top in the nation, including a ranking in the top 10 for neonatal services.    We continued to provide high quality and compassionate care while achieving a 3.4 percent increase in admissions and a substantial increase in outpatient activity. Our financial performance was on target and will exceed last year’s with a projected operating margin of around 3.5 percent.   We gained approval for financing the new Phase I hospital facility and central energy plant and construction is on schedule and progressing. A “backfill planning” effort was launched to reallocate space to be vacated in the main facility in the future.   Substantial progress was made with a number of capital improvements. For example, work was completed for the installation of the 64 slice CT scanner in the Heart and Vascular Center. Planning was completed for the MUH 9th floor Cath/EP Lab renovation and construction is beginning. The 6 SW MICU project was completed to add 13 beds and work was completed to open seven beds in the Neuroscience ICU on 8 Center. Renovation on 5 Center was completed for 12 nursery beds.  Renovation was completed on the third floor interventional space to accommodate the Siemens Bi-plan neuro-interventional unit.   We achieved successful results form the JCAHO Point-of-Care Testing Lab Survey and from an unannounced JCAHO survey focusing on fire and life safety. Laboratory inspections by the College of American Pathologists and American Association of Blood Banks met with success. We completed the JCAHO Periodic Performance Review and we implemented procedures necessary to comply with all 2004-2005 National Patient Safety Goals.   The Admit-Transfer Center was implemented and to date it has led to improved coordination with referring facilities and better utilization of beds.  The planning process for the Chest Pain Center accreditation made good progress.   The Medical Center provided support to help complete the RFP for an advance point-of-care clinical system and good progress was made with contract negotiations.  In the meantime, work has continued with deployment of mobile computers to improve the nursing assessment process.   We achieved numerous operational improvements.  We gained new efficiencies in materials management through enhancements to the Pyxis medical-surgical supply cabinets. The Horizon Business Insight (HBI) system was implemented to enable improved distribution of management reports and scoreboards. The QuickFind Equipment Tracking System was implemented to improve management of moveable equipment.   Excellent progress was made with implementation of our new web content management system and we achieved a dramatic increase in consumer visits to the http://www.MUSCHealth.com Web site. Necessary infrastructure work was completed to prepare for kick-off of the new Get Well Network.    We involved numerous work groups in making progress with our tactical plan goals focusing upon patient satisfaction, employee satisfaction, financial performance, quality and safety and information management. We made preliminary plans to take our tactical plan to the next level by “hardwiring excellence” as we move forward.   There were numerous other significant accomplishments and operational improvements in addition to the examples listed above.  Our successful year was due to the cooperation and support throughout our organization and I want to thank everyone for your outstanding work. The future promises to be exciting. Sincerely, W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center Emergency response procedure updated Mayday policy committee chair Sheila Scarbrough presented changes in emergency response procedures. She cited confusion in the current policy due to differences in phone numbers that depended on the building where the emergency occurred.   Regarding how and when the Mayday code is called, all campus locations will call 792-3333 and tell the operator: adult or pediatric exact location of the call—building and room number or address name and call-back extension of the caller. She said that room number and building name are from the following buildings: Medical University Hospital Children’s Hospital Storm Eye Institute Rutledge Tower Charleston Memorial Basic Science Building Library/Student Services Building Clinical Science Building North Tower Institute of Psychiatry She said that for all other locations the full street address should be given, and she suggested labeling phones in each office with the location information for emergency use.     As for when an emergency call should be placed: For Maydays in any area other than the OR, ICUs and the ED, a full Mayday team will be called. For Maydays in the intensive care units, staff will be call a pharmacy response team if the patient is intubated. If the patient is not intubated, a full Mayday team response will be called. The emergency departments (ED) and the ORs do not have to call a full Mayday. Staff may call for a full Mayday at any time they determine a need for the full team.   For clearly non-life threatening situations, call Public Safety to help the victim to the Emergency Department. In apparently life-threatening situations, all areas except the main hospital complex, Rutledge Tower, the Basic Science Building and Charleston Memorial Hospital will get Meducare as first responder. Human Resources Human Resources employment and compensation manager Susan Carullo displayed a “digital recruitment card,” designed to present the MUSC Medical Center to people considering employment. Used in an Internet-connected computer, it is a compact disk that virtually opens the Medical Center to answer questions, tour the campus and present job opportunities.     Friday, July 22, 2005 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.