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Currents To Medical Center Employees: It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Pat Cawley has been selected as the medical director for the MUSC Medical Center. Dr. Cawley was recommended for this key leadership position following a national search.       Dr. Cawley served as the interim medical director since April 2006. He was initially employed by MUSC in 2003 as the director of Hospitalist Services and associate medical director and subsequently, was also appointed vice chair of Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine.   Among other distinctions, Dr. Cawley earned his medical doctorate from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration from the American College of Physician Executives at the University of Massachusetts.    Dr. Cawley did an outstanding job serving as the interim medical director while balancing multiple demands and priorities. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Cawley.   A JCAHO survey team arrived on Monday, Sept. 11 and conducted an unannounced survey throughout the week. There were some recommendations for improvement, but we were very pleased with the overall success of the survey. The survey team was very complimentary of staff for their interaction. Our “continuous readiness” efforts paid off and I want to thank everyone for a job well done.   Finally, during the week of Sept. 25 and on Oct. 2 and 3 a series of Medical Center Town Hall meetings will be conducted. Attendance is highly encouraged. Agenda topics will include an update on our MUSC Excellence goals. Other topics will include a patient satisfaction update, explanation of the upcoming employee perspectives survey, AIDET training plan, Service Recovery plan and an update on the new hospital facility progress. The Town Hall meeting schedule is listed in this newsletter.   Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center Benefits enrollment, PEACH form briefed A reminder that the Medical Center Town Hall meetings are scheduled as follows: Sept. 25, 10:30 a.m. (IOP), and 2:30 p.m. (2W Amphitheater); Sept. 26, 6:45 a.m. (BSB Auditorium), 3:30 p.m. (IOP); Sept. 27, 7:45 a.m. (IOP), 11:30 a.m. (2W Amphitheater), 3:30 p.m. (SEI), and 6:30 p.m. (2W Amphitheater); Sept. 29, 7:45 a.m. (2W Amphitheater), Oct. 2, 2:30 p.m. (SEI); and Oct. 3, 10:30 a.m. (SEI). DSAL Buddy Walk Diane Andrews, speech-language pathology therapist, presented information on the Down Syndrome Association of the Lowcountry’s (DSAL) fourth annual Buddy Walk held from 2 to 5 p.m., Oct. 1 at Etiwan Park, Daniel Island. Andrews introduced Gene Carpenter, a DSAL board member, who spoke about the volunteer organization and its mission. The event is a one-mile fun walk, which is celebrated nationally in October. Last spring, DSAL Buddy Walk proceeds provided funds to host a free, four-day educational workshop to help guide parents and children with Down syndrome. Supporters will be selling “buddy bucks” throughout the Medical Center, plus register walkers and volunteers. For information, call Diane Andrews, 876-7202 or Meredith Sanders, 792-1555. North Tower Elevators Fred Miles and Roger Daily, both of hospital maintenance, discussed details for plans to refurbish the North Tower elevators. Beginning Sept. 25 and for the next six weeks, hospital maintenance will work on each of the four elevator cars, which will be entirely refurbished including the installation of stainless steel doors. Therefore, the North Tower elevators will no longer be referred to as the gold elevators. The bronze finish will remain on the ninth and tenth floor elevators. HR Update Helena Bastian, director of Human Resources, gave an HR update which consisted of the following: Effective Oct. 1, eligible RNs will receive an additional 50 cents differential when working as a charge nurse. RNs must complete charge nurse competency training to be eligible for the differential. Payroll instructions will be sent via e-mail to directors to disseminate to appropriate time keepers. Managers were instructed to notify Jean Brown in the HOP office of their interest in any traveler(s) with MUHA experience prior to making a job offer so that a MUHA reference can be checked. Managers were reminded that they must conduct a primary source verification at the time of an employee’s license/certification renewal (and prior to expiration date). Documentation must be maintained in the unit file and entered into CATTS. Managers may refer to guidelines on the intranet at http://www.musc.edu/medcenter/staffToolbox/PrimarySourceVerification.htm or contact Bastian, 792-5098 or Susan Carullo, 792-1684 for clarification. The Retiree luncheon is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., Sept. 25, Charleston Riverview Hotel. Leadership Develop-ment Institute (LDI) training for the new Leadership Evaluation Software has been rescheduled to Oct. 24 through 26. LDI participants may register for training via CATTS. For additional information, contact Kathy Clark, 792-6970. October is Open Enrollment Mark Stimpson, manager of Benefits and Records, reminded managers that October is the annual Benefits Enrollment 2006. From Oct. 1 to 31, Medical Center employees may make changes to their benefits which includes changes to an employee’s health plan, optional life insurance, dependent life insurance, plus enrollment/re-enrollment in the MoneyPlus program, a medical spending and/or dependent day care accounts.      All paperwork must be completed and submitted by Oct. 31 to Human Resources, room 109, Clinical Science Building. Changes will go into effect Jan. 1.   Additionally, Medical Center employees are invited to attend the annual Benefits Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 19, Children’s Hospital lobby. An informational booklet that reviews all changes will be available soon. HR also plans to conduct several informational seminars on benefit enrollment throughout October. Details to follow.      Employees can read about enrolling, changing or updating their benefits by visiting the Human Resources page on the Medical Center Intranet http://mcintranet.musc.edu/hr/benefits/enroll.htm. Workers’ Comp Policy Changes Eric Frisch, employee relations and training manager, discussed revisions made to the Medical Center’s Human Resources Workers’ Compensation policy. Frisch cited that most issues relating to Workers’ Compensation can be handled with information and improved communications. Therefore, he encouraged all managers and supervisors to be familiar with their department’s protocol if/when an employee is injured on the job. The policy defines the responsibilities of supervisors/managers, the employee and Employee Health Services in the event of a work-related injury. A provision for injured employees who refuse to seek medical treatment. The supervisor/manager must complete and submit an ACCORD form to Employee Health Services. Following an on-the-job injury, the employee must use MUSC Employee Health and MUHA Emergency Department as the initial provider. Temporary employees are eligible for workers compensation but are not eligible for administrative leave as provided in the PTO policy. Medical services approved in advance by Workers’ Compensation will be reimbursed. A department must provide restricted duty for workers’ comp permanent employees for 60 calendar days. Temporary employees will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If a department is unable to accommodate an employee with restrictions, the Clinical Staffing Office will serve as a clearing house for placement of both clinical and non-clinical employees with restrictions. Contact the Staffing Office for more information, 792-8375. The home department will continue to pay for the injured employee’s salary even when an employee works in another area. PEACH Form Roll Out Pam Marek, Decision Support Services, announced plans for the Planning, Establishing and Activating Clinical Housing (PEACH) form roll out. If a department or unit needs to arrange patient bed accommodations within an area, a PEACH form will be required. Working with PEACH committee members Sherrie Spencer, Georgia Hicks and Vicki Marsi, the team defined their goal of improving communications between departments and clarifying needs by creating an electronic form and establishing a system to properly manage and respond to bed requests.   To begin, the committee hosted two roundtable meetings to finalize details about the electronic form and discuss other recommendations. As a result, the committee discussed the value of communicating with primary and secondary notification teams throughout this process. Examples of first notification groups are: physical plant, bed management, biomed, revenue systems and central supply. Secondary notification groups may include Meducare, patient transport, therapies, medical records and pastoral care.   To prepare for the upcoming PEACH form roll out, the committee has coordinated a training schedule throughout September: Sept. 25, 8 to 9:30 a.m. and 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Sept. 26, 8 to 9:30 a.m. and 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Sept. 28, 8 to 9:30 a.m. and 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Sept. 29, 8 to 9:30 a.m. and 10 to 11:30 a.m. Training classes are limited to eight students. Call Pam Marek at 792-8793. The PEACH forms can be found on the MUHA Intranet at http://www.musc.edu/medcenter/formsToolbox/peach/. ACC Update Bill Spring, Heart & Vascular Center administrator, presented on the progress of the Phase 1 Action Coordinating Committee (ACC). Spring acknowledged the many hours dedicated by Medical Center staff focused on the operational effort for the new hospital facility. Working with Kurt Salmon & Associates (KSA), Spring praised the progress made by the 12 implementation teams and 30-plus sub-groups involved in this effort. KSA’s purpose is to help define team roles, assist in the overall planning process, plus conduct presentations to the Medical Center executive director’s senior steering committee on the group’s progress. Spring provided scheduling details of the implementation teams and sub-groups. Spring also recognized the daily efforts of Tonya Hazelton who helps coordinate and manage ACC group activities and operational progress. Finally, Spring unveiled the committee’s Web page which features a FAQ section and other information at http://dev.muschealth.com/ACC/faq.htm. APOC Update Mark Daniels, APOC program manager, reported on the progress of several ongoing clinical projects including the Sept. 19 activation of the ED tracking board at the main hospital, pediatrics and CMH. Clinical documentation project coordinators also held a meeting on Sept. 19 with more than 50 nurses in attendance. An open house with clinical staff will be scheduled for October to allow participants to share opinion regarding workflow, documentation and assessment issues. The perioperative system is scheduled to go live in February. The pharmacy replacement system activation has been postponed from its September activation date due to system problems. Members of the order management project recently traveled to Duke University to observe their system. Duke processes more than 10,000 orders daily using a McKesson product. An on-site order management assessment has been conducted and the timeline for this project remains to be completed by summer 2007. Health 1st Update Annie Lovering, MUSC Wellness Coordinator, outlined plans for Wellness Wednesdays held each Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Children’s Hospital Lobby or other designated locations. Topics are selected on behalf of improving employee health and wellness.   Lovering also spoke about Prevention Partners, a division of the state of South Carolina’s Employee Insurance Program. They provide multiple programs and activities that are for free or available at a low cost for employees. Low-cost ($15) health screening, which provides a complete health risk survey that includes BP test, lipid profile, and complete lab work (a $200 value). Results will be mailed directly to the employee. “Developing a Healthier Lifestyle” workshop will be held from noon to 1 p.m., Oct. 5 at 2 West Amphitheater. The program is structured in two, 45-minute sessions. To register, e-mail health1st@musc.edu. Friday, Sept. 22, 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.