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Town Hall Meeting Excellence plan, staff surveys outlined The final Town Hall meeting will be held at 7:30 and 11:30 a.m. 2W Amphitheater June 30. June’s town hall meeting began with a greeting by Medical Center Executive director Stuart Smith, vice president for operations and executive director of the MUSC Medical Center. He emphasized the overall goal of these meetings was to communicate to employees information about programs that will help make MUSC a better place for patient care and for employees—physicians and medical staff—to practice medicine and teach.   Smith outlined the 45-minute Town Hall agenda beginning with a review of the Medical Center’s Employee Satisfaction Surveys begun in the March Town Hall Meeting. Other topics addressed were MUSC Excellence and its structure; an introduction to the service team concept and review of best practices.   He began with unveiling of the new MUSC Excellence logo to Medical Center employees.   He then reviewed details concerning the town hall meeting evaluation form and encouraged its  completion from everyone in attendance. The evaluation contained questions related to this week’s series of Town Hall presentations and other queries. Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Betts Ellis outlined elements of the MUSC Medical Center’s employee satisfaction goals. He reminded the audience that the goal’s premise is: Satisfied employees make for satisfied patients and overall great organization. Last August, the Medical Center working with the McNair Group, administered an employee satisfaction survey to assess workplace strengths and weaknesses and make improvements. The employee response yielded favorably (about a 60 percent rate) with scores reaching 72 percent of the hospital’s workforce reporting an overall job and workplace satisfaction. Ellis explained that while the 72-percent satisfaction level is encouraging, too many fall in the neutral or disatsified categories. And this needs attention.   Areas for improvement include communications within or between departments, employee praise and recognition, staff rewards, performance evaluation and job worth among Medical Center employees. In an effort to gain further response, the administrative team organized numerous department-based focus groups which promoted participation and resulted in new plans to improve employees satisfaction within departments. Also the MUSC Excellence Initiatives include Best Practices that will be rolled out, which address these employee satisfaction issues. Supplemental Medical Leave, PTO and Medical Center Pay Plan Ellis also discussed HR-related changes in response to comments made in last year's employee satisfaction survey, including Supplemental Medical Leave, PTO, Cash-in, and adjustments to holiday differential.   The pay plan and other related pay concerns, plus improved communication of the compensation plan were areas of particular interest cited by employee respondents in the survey. MUHA Human Resources team have worked hard in evaluating pay equity issues by evaluating pay salary surveys to focus on various job groups and classifications which included a salary data analysis included about 3,000 employees and looked at pay equity adjustments. These adjustments are expected to take place in July. Employee groups affected by the holiday pay differential will also be adjusted by $2 in July.   He reported about a forthcoming satisfaction survey which will partner the Medical Center with a national research firm to allow hospital leaders to capture data relating to employee satisfaction and how it compares to other hospitals. This move emphasizes the importance of employee satisfaction as a goal the hospital plans to continually measure and will be part of leadership performance evaluations in the future.      Ellis also reviewed the 2006-07 Medical Center Pay Plan. The Medical Center will be adjusting pay rates based upon employee performance and the most recent employee evaluation on file. Pay for performance will be evaluated in three categories: substantially exceeds, 5 percent; exceeds, 4 percent and meets, 3 percent. The actual pay adjustments will take place by the Jan. 17, 2007 pay date. The Medical Center’s fiscal year 2006-07 Pay Plan can be accessed under HR Policy15, Compensation. MUSC Excellence Overview Smith discussed progress with migrating MUHA’s tactical plan for improvement to its next level, the five pillars of excellence. Management believes pillars can provide a “balance” throughout the organization and focuses on service, people, quality, financial and growth. Pillars will be used as a tool for evaluation.   Why MUSC Excellence? 1) improves patient satisfaction; 2) attracts and retain the best staff and physicians; 3) improves service and operations; and 4) attains excellence in all aspects at MUSC.   MUSC Excellence provides structure; rolls out best practices; and tools to accomplish them; and builds accountability      As MUHA committed to this mechanism for change, the Medical Center signed a three-year contract with the Studer Group, which is currently six months into the contract. Currently, the university and UMA have shown interest in joining the Medical Center in supporting the MUSC Excellence Plan. Essentially, that will make MUSC among the first academic center’s in the country to support the Excellence Plan from the beginning.      MUSC Excellence Structure is composed of a senior leadership team led by hospital administrators who meet weekly. The leadership team is supported by service excellence, leadership evaluation (accountability) and leadership development teams. Best Practices Marilyn Schaffner, administrator for clinical services and chief nursing officer, reminded employees that as MUSC Excellence is initiated so will they roll out Best Practices, described as specific actions and activities that help the Medical Center staff achieve its goals.   Best Practices are: Rounding for Outcomes; Employee Thank You Notes; Key actions; Words at Key Times; Alignment of Organizational Goals; Discharge Phone Calls; and Section/Retention of Staff First 90 Days.   Schaffner discussed specifics relating to Rounding for Outcomes, described as connecting and communicating personally with employees, physicians, staff and customers. Rounding can help obtain information, provides follow-up and helps determine any needs or actions to help reach the organization’s goals. Staff contribute by determine their needs and actions beginning at the unit level. Rounding occurs between senior leaders and leaders working within work areas and service areas. More specifically, they are managers, directors, supervisors and administrators who round with staff.   Schaffner emphasized that rounding with staff shows concern and care, what works well with staff, people to recognize, systems to improve to help employees become more effective in providing quality patient care and provision to tools and equipment to conduct the best job possible.   Rounding with patients can improve a patient’s overall experience and their perception of quality of care that can affect patient satisfaction scores. Key drivers for rounding with patients are attention to personal/special needs; response to call lights; sensitivity to inconvenience; pain management and genuine concerns and empathy. Rounding with customers allows focuses on the support of departments and units that are served and supported.   In conclusion, rounding helps to emphasize the organization’s areas of focus. This effort is a response to employee satisfaction survey results on improving praise and recognition among staff. Rounding leaders have added JCAHO questions to rounding question forms to provide training in preparation for JCAHO survey readiness throughout the hospital. Strategic Initiatives Smith discussed proposals of the four strategic initiatives and goals for the clinical enterprise: 1) Complete construction of new hospital facility ahead of schedule and within budget; 2) Plan for and implement strategic plans to increase market share (particularly in Tri-county area) in order to rapidly utilize new (additional) inpatient and outpatient facilities; 3) Improve efficiency of operations in order to enhance financial performance to set stage for financing Phase II and modernization of the Children’s Hospital facilities; and 4) Build infrastructure and change culture to improve quality/safety of care provided, which in turn will improve financial performance.   He also reviewed the Medical Center's measurable goals for FY 2007 under the five pillars; service, people, quality, finance and growth.     Friday, June 30, 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.