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Currents To Medical Center Employees: On Nov. 29 and 30, the management team, including nearly all Medical Center supervisors with responsibility for hiring and performance evaluations, took part in our fourth MUSC Excellence Leadership Development Institute (LDI). The LDI is a two-day, off-campus exercise designed to train managers to be better leaders and to focus upon organizational goals, progress and plans for the future. The LDI Team has done a great job in planning, organizing, and conducting LDIs since March.      At the LDI we reviewed progress made this year with our Leader Evaluation system. A significant accomplishment was the Leadership Evaluation Team’s development of measurable Medical Centerwide goals. The goals are indicated in this newsletter and the MUSC Excellence Web site (http://mcintranet.musc.edu/muscexcellence/index.htm).      Our Medical Centerwide goals will be included in some fashion in all leaders’ performance evaluations. Many leaders will have department-specific measurable goals that are directly linked to the organizational goals. Leaders will report 30 and 90 day progress towards goals by using our on-line Leader Evaluation Manager system.       You will notice that we have not yet established a measurable employee satisfaction goal. The Employer of Choice Team did a super job in the rollout of the survey in October with a response rate of 68 percent. We will soon get the results of the employee satisfaction survey. The results will be widely disseminated and will provide us with baseline data for the employee satisfaction goal.       During the recent LDI, leaders were given updates on the progress of various MUSC Excellence initiatives rolled out this year. Our Service Recovery Team did an outstanding job in the development of the Service Recovery policy and training for current employees has nearly been completed. We introduced and rolled out key “must haves” (best practices) including leader rounding (employee, patient and internal customer rounding), Key Words at Key Times (AIDET) training and employee recognition (thank you notes and other forms of recognition).  We will continue our efforts to hardwire these best practices.       The leadership team received an update from the Reward & Recognition (R & R) Team on the new “Catch a Shining Star” card as an easy-to-use employee-to-employee expression of appreciation and a plan to revamp and strengthen the APPLAUSE program. An LCD screen will be installed near the cafeteria entrance to showcase outstanding performers. Also, a plan to give an employee of the month and employee of the year awards was introduced. The R & R Team will begin meeting with departments throughout the Medical Center soon and plans to update all employees on the new R & R program by Feb. 1.   We received an update from the Measurement Team on our Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction report and training for use and interpretation of the report. The plan is to familiarize all staff with the patient satisfaction report. Departments will be provided service area-specific satisfaction report updates twice each month. Also, general patient satisfaction educational sessions for interested employees will be announced in the near future.         Our Standards Team presented an implementation plan for the roll out of behavioral standards aligned with our values of accountability, respect, excellence, and adaptability.  All leaders will be conducting meetings between now and the end of February to discuss our standards. In the near future, we will include standards in our performance evaluation. New hires will receive training during orientation and job applicants will be required to commit to the standards in order to be eligible for consideration. Through adopting these standards we can help make the Medical Center a great place to work, a great place for patient care and a great place for physicians to practice medicine and teach.   We will provide additional updates on our MUSC Excellence initiatives through this newsletter, departmental and quarterly town hall meetings and other methods of communication.  Sincerely, W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, Medical Center 2006-07 Organizational Goals Service: Increase patient satisfaction (inpatient and ambulatory) to the 62nd percentile; 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 FTE per adjusted occupied bed to 6.3 (includes Ambulatory Care); Growth: Increase inpatient admissions to 2.7 percent; Increase outpatient visits 5 percent GME, new preschool, Park-and-Ride briefed Sue Pletcher, director of Patient Access and Health Information Services (HIS), shared a win with Medical Center staff. Ethel Maxey, HIS employee, and Ranatia Fludd, fourth floor Pre-op Waiting Room, came to the aid of a recently discharged patient who was trying to get home.   They pooled money from their own resources to pay the $9 cab fare and sent her on her way. The grateful woman promised that she would reimburse their generosity once she received her Medicare check. Both employees went on their way, saying nothing about their good deed. In late November, the patient returned to the hospital and personally delivered thank you cards along with funds reimbursing the employees.   “You two saw that I needed help and did not hesitate to help me out. I praise God for you and I really thank you,” wrote the patient. GME update      Franklin Medio, Ph.D., associate dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME), reviewed information about its 50 programs and 500 residents. Medio thanked managers and staff for their cooperation and support following the ACGME Institutional Review for accreditation in October. Currently, residency programs are busy conducting recruitment visits for residency applicants. Medio was glad to report that every residency program has successfully filled their slots  via the national "matching" program.      He also reminded managers that this is the time for the residents to be assessed with an annual residency review, an overall assessment of a resident's performance and professionalism. He asked that any inquiries be directed to MUSC Residency Program directors of residents within respective  work areas. Visit http://gme.musc.edu/.   Medio also mentioned that the E*Value clinical privilege procedure is in place to support the JCAHO “Point of Care” Patient Safety Initiative. For information, contact either Larry Afrin, M.D., or Pat Cawley, M.D. Marketing Services award Chris Murray, Business Development and Marketing Services director, announced that MUSCHealth.com Web site was recognized with a Greystone.Net Best in Class Award for “best presentation of clinical content” category. Finalists included Cleveland Clinic, Columbus Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and UAB Health System.      Dave Bennett, Web development services director, received the gold award in this category on behalf of MUSC.   Finalists were selected based on graphical look and feel, customization, user-friendly design, integration of content with clinical/ educational services, and customer response, etc.   Judges were impressed with the MUSC Health Topic Library integrating a variety of metadata from podcasts and e-newsletters to other interactive tools. They also cited the search program allowing users to utilize the find a doctor, e-mail a nurse or search the MUSC Clinical Trials database for information. CARTA and MUSC preschool John Runyon, business services director, introduced Chris Wilkinson, transit administrator with Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), who unveiled details about the new CARTA Express commuter service linking routes in North Charleston, James Island, West Ashley, Mount Pleasant to Peninsula Charleston. The project offers MUSC commuters an alternative to driving and parking in Peninsula Charleston. Beginning Jan. 15, riders can park their cars in designated CARTA parking areas (mostly pre-approved shopping venues) and travel non-stop to MUSC and other downtown Charleston locations.     Riders can utilize the CARTA Express system between 5:20 to 10 a.m. (morning rush commute) and 3:45 to 7:40 p.m. (evening rush commute). MUSC employees and students ride for 75 cents each way (with MUSC ID), a significant discount compared to $2 standard fare. Parking in CARTA's Park-and-Ride lots are free. Read more information about the CARTA Express in an upcoming Catalyst feature and broadcast messages.     Runyon also related details of the new MUSC Child Development Preschool, which opens Jan. 8. The preschool, located at the Church of the Holy Communion (218 Ashley Avenue), will accommodate children, 3 to 5, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., weekdays. The program is offered  to MUSC, MUHA and UMA employees and students. Parents and guardians are invited to an open house at the facility until Dec. 15.   For more information and registration, call 805-8133 or visit http://www.musc.edu/businessservices/childdevelopmentpreschool/Index.html. Education Roll-out update Laurie Zone-Smith, clinical services administration manager, reviewed details about the Educational Rollout committee's Dec. 7 meeting. Committee members discussed information about a new Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to remove pre-operative hair using clippers. The Medical Center will be using Cardinal Clippers as a method of hair removal and eliminate shaving for post-operative patients. Also discussed was a new labeling and wristband produce which will eliminate the blue stamp plates for identification around the hospital. ACC update Bill Spring, Heart & Vascular Center administrator, gave update on the Phase 1 Action Coordinating Committee (ACC) and their progress with the new Courtenay Facility. Sharon DeGrace, Critical Care and Emergency Services director, gave a presentation in mid-November on progress with the nursing implementation team and staffing. As a result, new nursing management positions will soon be posted for the Courtenay Facility. Announcements Carol Younker, Medical Center Risk Management, reminded managers that the final offering of MUSC Excellence/Service Recovery Training for campus employees will be held Dec. 11 to 15. Dates, times and locations are posted on the MUSC Excellence Web site. Mark Stimpson, manager of benefits and records, reminded managers that submission of EPMSs for pay merit increases for employees are due Dec. 15, unclassified employees by Jan. 2. He also asked there be no new personnel changes posted to MUHA HR records between Dec. 22 to Jan. 2.     Friday, Dec. 8, 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.