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MUSC Excellence at the Medical Center Worksite screening offered by Health1st Service: Serving the public with compassion, respect and excellence Standard of Behavior for July: “I will take pride in the workplace and keep my work area clean by cleaning up litter, debris and spills promptly. Let’s all pitch in to keep our hospital clean.” (Sponsored by Environmental Services) Health 1st—July Employee Benefit of the Month A survey of MUSC employees in 2005 determined that 55 percent of employees are overweight or obese, which can lead to an increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and poor general health.   Health 1st is designed to promote the health and well-being of the MUSC community. The program is about offering employees opportunities to improve their health by developing healthier lifestyles and habits focusing on employees’ physical, nutritional, and emotional health. A variety of programs are being offered with a special worksite health screening from 7 to 11 a.m. July 19. The deadline for this screening is July 17. Register online at http://www.musc.edu/medcenter/health1st or call 792-1245. Meducare excels  The following “win” was shared with the Service Excellence team about the service excellence that Meducare staff is delivering.   A Meducare staff member shared the following observation. “When Meducare transport takes patients out of MUSC, I’m astounded at the comments people are making. They are so complimentary of MUSC, and some have actually cried, because they have to leave MUSC to go to another facility. The patients feel cared for and actually loved at MUSC. Both the patients and family members are so impressed with the personal care they have received. MUSC Excellence is making a great impact on patient satisfaction.”   Additional comments shared were, “People mention they have never seen an ambulance service provide such a personal touch to patients. The patients want the Meducare team and no one else. Meducare staff makes them feel that they are people who matter—not just another transport. AIDET and other MUSC Excellence initiatives are working.” Meducare stops by the USS Yorktown A few weeks ago, EMS Week was celebrated and there was a Con-gressional Medal of Honor event on the USS Yorktown. During this time, an MUSC patient was being discharged to a hospice in Mount Pleasant. The patient’s family requested that the Meducare crew drive as close by the Yorktown as possible. The patient was a World War II veteran pilot who had landed on the Yorktown many times during his tour of duty. The Meducare crew did not hesitate to honor this request.   When Meducare drove up to the gates of the Yorktown, the security officer allowed access and the crew was able to drive down the gangway to the carrier. The crew then unloaded the patient and raised the head of the stretcher so he could have a full view. The patient had typically been nonverbal and when he saw the Yorktown, a tear rolled down his cheek. The crew asked him if he had landed on the Yorktown, expecting a nod, and instead he spoke, “You bet I did.” People: Fostering employee pride and loyalty Employees of the month Michael Irving, Clinical Services Administration. On his own time, Irving helped update the patient education manual. The manual needed a complete overhaul and he did an outstanding job. Irving exemplifies May’s standard of being a team player, even when it’s not his team.   Shanika Phillips, Dietary. Phillips was talking to a visitor whose girlfriend was  admitted for a stroke. He said that his girlfriend was doing better but feeling depressed, because she looked “a mess.” Phillips visited the patient after her shift and styled the patient’s hair.   Dale Tysk, Antepartum. A patient shared that “Dale has been so wonderful to me. She is the only nurse I have ever had that voluntarily gives me a back and foot massage every night when she cares for me. This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in my two-month stay at MUSC.”   Katy Moser, Storm Eye Institute (SEI) Pediatric Clinic. While talking with the wife of a patient who was admitted to the ICU due to a car accident, Moser learned the wife had not showered for several days, because she did not want to leave her husband. Moser received permission for her to use a shower at SEI, secured some toiletries and towels, as well as a room at the Youth Hostel for the patient’s wife. Daisy Award Nurse of the Month Carrie Alexander receives the Daisy Nurse Award. Carrie Alexander, Surgical Trauma. A patient of Alexander’s experienced a serious delay in testing and the family was extremely irate, requiring a great amount of service recovery. Alexander calmly cared for the family and her two patients, while also attempting to resolve the family’s issues through professional channels. She made a tremendous difference in the positive outcome that was achieved with this family. Physician of the Month Ross Rames, M.D., Urology. A patient submitted this testimonial regarding the compassionate care provided by Rames.   “Dr. Rames has truly changed my life. As a 35-year-old female who has suffered from chronic health issues since age 12, Dr. Rames has been my ‘Godsend.’ I have had many procedures under anesthesia and take many medications to control my symptoms. Because Dr. Rames is committed to excellence and patient research, he is one of few physicians trained and experienced to handle my case. Dr. Rames and his staff have been exemplary in my care. I am also a nurse and I recognize the respect Dr. Rames has among his colleagues and patients. He possesses the personality, compassion, pro-fessionalism, knowledge and dedication that we all hope to have in our physicians. Thank you, Dr. Rames for changing my life!” Measurement Service Team to launch Internal Customer Survey In the continued effort to live MUSC's mission, vision, and values, the Measurement Team developed the Internal Customer Survey. It is important to recognize this tool’s goal is to break down barriers between departments and enhance the way employees can effectively work together.   The survey was launched June 11 and supervisors were requested to complete it by June 15. The list of departments and the list of respondents were divided into different groups. Each respondent group was asked to complete a survey for a subset of the total departments. This pattern will be alternated quarterly so that by the end of the year, supervisors will have the opportunity to complete a survey for each of the approximate 83 departments/services.   Positive comments will be shared globally on a quarterly basis. Comments will be shared with the leaders of the areas. It is important to identify opportunities that will enable MUSC to achieve its mission and do a better job of serving each other and ultimately the physicians and patients. Quality: Providing quality patient care in a safe environment UnitedHealthcare distinction MUSC was designated as the only cardiac specialty center for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) patients in this region.  This recognition implies quality designation as one of the UnitedHealth Premium Cardiac Specialty Centers. There were 300 centers designated as the best in the nation.   This quality initiative is the result of a collaborative effort between the National Cardiovascular Database Registry, jointly sponsored by the American College of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society, and UnitedHealthcare. Evaluation of ICD data submitted by 1,450 United States hospitals to the ICD Registry was performed.   In South Carolina, MUSC is one of only three designated centers among 22 participating hospitals, and the only one in the Lowcountry.   The UnitedHealth Premium program provides consumers and health care providers with important information to assist in making informed health care decisions on ICDs.   This initiative recognizes physicians and cardiac facilities that meet or exceed evidence-based quality and efficiency standards.   Through this program, United-Healthcare has designated MUSC as one of the cardiac specialty centers that delivers consistent quality cardiac care in line with criteria based on nationally recognized medical standards.   “This recognition validates our approach of combining the most experienced cardiac electrophysiologists with a team of dedicated health care providers and state of the art facilities to provide outstanding care to patients at risk for life threatening arrhythmias. It also demonstrates that our national reputation in this field is based not only on our research productivity, but also on superior clinical outcomes,” said Michael Gold, M.D., Ph.D., director of  cardiology and associate dean of interdisciplinary clinical programs.     Friday, June 29, 2007 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.