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To Medical Center Employees: During the week of Sept. 25 and Oct. 2-3, we conducted a series of Medical Center Town Hall meetings. We are committed to continuing to improve communication through a variety of methods, including quarterly town hall meetings.     We had an attendance of 896 employees, slightly higher than previous quarterly sessions but lower than our goal of at least a 10 percent increase in attendance.  We are learning how to do a better job with these meetings and, with the help of the Communication Team, we will continue to improve.   Our town hall meetings focused on our MUSC Excellence initiatives, including our organizational goals, the rollout of AIDET training, improvements being made to our patient satisfaction survey, the upcoming employee satisfaction survey, departmental communication boards and other topics. Updates were also given on the new hospital facility construction progress and parking.      Evaluation forms were completed by 763 of the town hall meeting attendees. The evaluation forms are designed to assess the effectiveness of these meetings and measures the “pulse” of the organization (e.g. understanding of MUSC Excellence, departmental communication, timeliness of performance evaluations, and whether we do a good job of recognizing employees for good work). We want to move the evaluation results in a positive direction. The results will be compiled and widely disseminated in the near future. Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center Town Hall Meeting MUSC Excellence, surveys addressed Stuart Smith, Medical Center executive director and vice president for operations, opened the quarterly Town Hall meeting by recognizing the permanent appointment of Pat Cawley, M.D., as MUSC’s new medical director.      Cawley, who came to MUSC as director of Hospitalist Services in 2003, was selected after a nationwide search. He served as interim medical director since April.   Smith also thanked employees for their efforts during the recent JCAHO survey visit. He informed audiences that hospital staff are currently working to meet the opportunities of improvement and implement other changes necessary to complete the survey.   Smith reviewed the 45-minute Town Hall agenda by reviewing the Medical Center’s commitment to MUSC Excellence and its five pillars of communication—service, people, quality, finance and growth. He reminded employees that more communications are being planned around these concepts in all hospitalwide communications.   Finally, he reviewed details associated with the meeting evaluation form and encouraged everyone’s cooperation in completing it. MUSC Excellence Update Joan Herbert, IOP administrator and chair of the Leader Evaluation Team for the MUSC Excellence Initiative, reviewed MUSC Excellence and its three-prong approach of providing structure; rolls out best practices and tools to accomplish them and builds accountability—to help leaders achieve overall hospital goals. Each leader has been working to establish personal and team goals in their work areas: Service —Increase patient satisfaction (both inpatient and ambulatory) People —Reduce annualized turnover from 16 percent to 14.5 percent —Increase employee satisfaction Quality —Decrease mortality index to .77 Finance —Operating margin of 5 percent —Reduce FTEs per adjusted occupied bed to 6.3 (includes Ambulatory Care) Growth —Increase inpatient admissions by 2.7 percent —Increase outpatient visits by 5 percent Patient Satisfaction Survey Rosemary Ellis, director of quality and patient safety, provided details about inpatient satisfaction. Since changing vendors from National Resource Research Corp. to Press Ganey during the last quarter of 2006, Ellis was pleased to report that the Medical Center now uses a single vendor to measure patient satisfaction throughout the entire hospital organization. She also discussed changes in how patient satisfaction is measured focusing upon percentiles for comparing with other organizations and measuring progress. Most important is the change in how often the group shares information. Ellis reported that patient satisfaction data will be released weekly instead of monthly in the future. The reports will be distributed to all LDI-members.   Ellis closed by reviewing the most recent Patient Satisfaction data. She cited the Medical University Hospital for receiving an 89.3 mean positive response (42nd percentile) in the last quarter; Children’s Hospital’s NNICU (97th percentile); Emergency Pediatrics (89th percentile); Ambulatory Care (64th percentile), etc.   Ellis anticipates additional improvements as the database grows and area percentiles around the Medical Center are added to communicate daily goals. Employee Perspective Survey In 2005, the Medical Center worked with a local firm, the McNair Group, to conduct an employee satisfaction survey. According to Betts Ellis, administrator for Institutional Relations, results yielded a 60 percent-plus employee response rate. Results were shared with hospital employees at subsequent Town Hall meetings in 2005-06. The results were used to formulate a number of administrative and department-based action plans and other initiatives.   The hospital recruited Press Ganey, a national firm with more than 25 years survey experience, to conduct an Employee Perspective Survey. The survey will allow the Medical Center to benchmark with other organizations. The survey results will help establish a primary baseline measurement for leaders to establish goals connected to employee satisfaction. This tool will be the primary instrument to measure the employee satisfaction progress.   The Medical Center will issue the survey online throughout a two-week period beginning Oct. 16 to Oct. 27. Departments will receive more detailed information. Ellis asked for each employee’s complete support and response to the survey. Parking Update Smith spoke on behalf of Lisa Montgomery, vice president of Finance and Administration, and provided a campus parking status.   On Sept. 19, the S.C. Budget and Control Board approved plans for MUSC to build a 1,500-space parking garage on Courtenay and Bee streets. The site, which was the former Meducare helicopter landing area, will house the new garage and is expected to help alleviate some campus parking.   Additionally, Parking Management is planning to construct a parking area shelter beside Harborview Office Tower. The university is currently awaiting city approval to construct two additional parking shelters at the Hagood Parking Lot. AIDET Training Marilyn Schaffner, clinical services administrator and chief nursing officer, reviewed AIDET best practices in clinical care (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation and Thank You). Schaffner, who is co-chair of the Leadership Development Committee, reminded employees that using key words at key times can guide staff in relating to patients who may be distracted, frightened or feel challenged during a hospital visit. Improving communications can help unlock the door to greater service while building a culture of service and operational excellence.   According to Schaffner, AIDET is considered a framework that staff can use to improve communications with patients, families, visitors and others. AIDET advantages can decrease anxiety among patients while improving compliance and increasing clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction scores. To demonstrate this, Schaffner reviewed several examples of how AIDET has improved patient satisfaction scores at Provena St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee, Ill., the Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg and Shands Starke Emergency Department at the University of Florida. A (Acknowledge)—Establish eye contact; make patient feel that you expected them I (Introduce)—Name, department, self/skill set/experience, certifications, co-workers, other departments, physicians D (Duration)—How long will test/procedure/appointment take?; How long will patient need to wait?; How long before test/procedure visit/admission takes place?; How long until results are available? E (Explanation)—Why are we doing this?; What will happen next?; What questions do you have? T (Thank you)—Thank you for choosing MUSC Currently, AIDET training continues. Schaffner reminded employees that AIDET behavioral assessment forms should be completed for each employee within 30 days of training and submitted by April 15, 2007. A copy of each assessment will be placed in an employee’s personnel file and documented via CATTS. It is the Medical Center’s goal to complete all AIDET training by March 17, 2007. Hospital Replacement Project Chris Malanuk, director of strategic planning and project director for the new hospital, provided a quick update on the new hospital construction project. He applauded hospital employees for their support last April as employees signed a commemorative structural steel beam and later placed within the new hospital building.   Malanuk gave a complete tour of the construction progress since June 2005. He described the current status of the diagnostic treatment area, bed tower and energy plant which will support heating, air conditioning and ventilation needs for the new facility. He reviewed images of the project’s interior space from the large lobby and central registration entrance, connector bridge, mezzanine area, pharmacy, retail and dining areas.   Malanuk assured the employees of the building’s durability and structure featuring steel panels, glass and other materials. He confirmed that project designers and engineers have tested project materials under simulated weather conditions at a Florida-based construction research facility.   In addition, Malanuk addressed concerns about storm water drainage around the new hospital site on Courtenay Street. Planners have recently tested a new storm water lift system that will be installed to pump and drain storm water around the general vicinity.   Because of generated interest concerning the project, Malanuk announced that plans for an upcoming series of information sessions to address new hospital construction details, project costs, etc., will be forthcoming. Friday, Oct. 6, 2006 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 catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.