Currents Sept. 18
To Medical Center Employees:On Sept. 11 and 12 the management team, including nearly all Medical Center supervisors with responsibility for hiring and performance evaluation, took part in our seventh Leadership Development Institute (LDI). The LDIs involve off-campus exercises designed to train managers to be better leaders and to focus upon our organizational goals.
A wide range of topics were addressed at the LDI. An update was given on the Ashley River Tower including our plan to move into ART in January 2008. A presentation was given on the MUSC Health brand with plans to roll out a new MUSC logo in the weeks ahead. Results of the internal customer service and physician satisfaction surveys were presented. It was explained that leaders have been given internal customer service goals and physician satisfaction goals for leaders that will be distributed in the future.
A presentation was given on the patient care as well as financial impact of infection control. A plan was presented to roll out an “idea campaign” in the weeks ahead to solicit ideas organizationwide and to implement new infection control initiatives based on the ideas.
To better educate leaders, we reviewed the key elements of our employee compensation and benefits programs. A presentation was given on the advantages of hourly patient rounding, including a plan to roll out hourly rounding staff education for inpatient nursing units during October. We also discussed progress with conducting high, middle and low performer conversations (HML) with leaders and the plan to conduct HML conversations with all employees in the months ahead in order to improve overall organizational performance.
Our keynote speaker, Gail Boylan, discussed “accountability” and the need to “always” use our MUSC Excellence best practices that have been rolled out.
At the conclusion of the LDI, Pillar Awards were given to individuals and departments for exceeding patient satisfaction goals and for excellent support service. The Catalyst will include an article next week to recognize these outstanding leaders and departments.
It has been slightly more than 18 months since we kicked off MUSC Excellence. We have made good progress, and we have many opportunities before us as we continue to align goals, behaviors and processes. Our overarching goal is to create a great place for patients to get their care, a great place for employees to work and a great place for physicians to practice medicine and teach.
Thanks to everyone for your excellent work.
W. Stuart Smith
Vice President for Clinical Operations
and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center
People—Fostering employee pride and loyalty
Christine Lewis, Health Information Services (HIS) coding manager, reported on several new changes for coding and reimbursement. Due to new regulatory changes, HIS will adopt changes for Present on Admission (POA) and Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Groups effective Oct. 1.
As HIS
personnel code medical
records, they are required to identify diagnoses that are present at
the time the inpatient order occurs. Additionally, coders will identify
if the principal and/or secondary diagnoses was present at the time of
admission (present at the time the order for inpatient admission
occurs). Coders will now use POA reporting indicators: (Y) Yes, present
at time of inpatient admission; (N) No, not present at time of
inpatient admission; (U) Unknown, documentation insufficient to
determine; (W) Clinically undeter-mined. Lewis and staff also thanked Rachel Herbert, Decision Support Services, for helping to identify the number of 2006 cases that fall into the seven acquired conditions that will not be reimbursed— catheter-associated UTI; vascular catheter-associated infections; pressure sores; mediastinitis following CABG; air embolism; incompatible blood type and hospital-associated injuries (falls)—if they are not present during time of admission. Without proper coding reimbursement, admission reimburse-ment payment may be affected.
Also affected with the Oct. 1 POA change is the prospective payment system which will switch to Medicare-Severity-DRGs. The with or without complication or co-morbidity classifica-tion will use a new three tiered system for each diagnosis based on the presence of: major complication or co-morbidity; a complication or co-morbidity; and no complication or co-morbidity
Lewis emphasized that with all these changes it is HIS coding staff’s goal to ensure that all coding and documentation continues to be accurate and clear. For information, contact Lewis at 792-3924 or lewisc@musc.edu
2007 Consumer Choice Awards
For the 10th years running, MUSC Medical Center received the National Research Corporation’s 2007-08 Consumer Choice #1 award, according to Lynne Barber, Business Development and Marketing Services manager.
The award, based on an annual Tri-county consumer-based survey, was conducted last April via the Internet. More than 413 respondents participated. The NRC identifies hospitals that health care decision makers chose as facilities that possess the highest quality and image among 180 U.S. markets.
Results were based on several categories including advocacy, utilization, preference, image, familiarity and awareness. In each area, MUSC ranked highest among five area competitor hospitals: Roper Hospital, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, Trident Regional Medical Center and East Cooper Hospital. MUSC led the field in a variety of quality/image profile categories: best overall quality, best doctors; best nurses; most personalized care; best image/reputation; most preferred for all health needs; latest technology/equipment; widest range of services; Web site used most often; best accommodations/amenities and highest patient safety. They also led in service line preferences for bariatric (weight loss) surgery, cancer treatment, heart care, imaging, transplants, pediatric and mental health services, plus other areas.
Education roll-out update
Laurie Zone-Smith, Ph.D., R.N., reviewed details from the Sept. 6 meeting including the Policy c-61 and 78 on NPO orders given by physicians and ordering practitioners. She reminded managers that NPO is strictly defined as nothing by mouth and oral medications are not to be given during this period until a new diet order is written.
She also shared an education tip for staff working with the new Clinical Documentation system and have experienced lost connection. She suggested opening the patient room’s door to establish a clearer connection with the unit’s system antenna.
HR update
Mark Stimpson, HR benefits manager, reminded employees of the 2007 MUSC Service Awards to be held Sept. 27 at Basic Science Building Auditorium recognizing staff for 10, 20, 30-plus years of service. A retiree luncheon also will take place Sept. 28 at the Charleston Marriott at Lockwood Blvd.
MUHA HR Office is relocating to 163 Rutledge Ave., Suite 200 (corner of Rutledge Avenue and Doughty Street). HR will continue to maintain a presence at their current office, Room 109, Clinical Sciences Building. HR phones numbers will remain the same.
Service—Serving the public with compassion, respect and excellence
Tamper resistant prescription pads
Paul Bush, PharmD, MUSC Pharmacy Services director, reviewed details about a new federal Medicaid legislation that will affect the way prescriptions are written or printed beginning Oct. 1. The new law approved by Congress in May, requires prescriptions for Medicaid patients to be written/printed on tamper-resistant paper. Pharmacies will not be reimbursed for prescriptions that are not on tamper-resistant paper, resulting in difficulties for a patient to have their prescriptions filled.
The new
prescription paper feature
an anti-copy watermark that prohibits photocopying and scanning. The
paper also has a blue security background preventing erasure, and is
heat sensitive to touch. As of Oct. 1:Pharmacies must adopt one or more of the industry-recognized features designed to prevent:
- Unauthorized copying of a completed/blank prescription form
- Erasure or modification of information written on the prescription by the prescriber
- Use of counterfeit prescription forms--Electronic, faxed or phone-in prescriptions are excluded from these guidelines.
Bush emphasized the department’s goal to communicate the plan with all MUSC physicians and physician’s offices, campuswide.
Currently, the immediate plan is to exchange old prescription pads for tamper-resistant pads during the week of Sept. 24.
Seasons Adult Behavioral Healthcare
Mike Hartley, IOP nurse manager of adult services, invited colleagues to an opening house/drop in of the new Seasons Adult Behavioral Health Intensive Outpatient Services, 4-6 p.m., Suite 201, McClennan-Banks Building. Seasons adds a new dimension of care for elderly patients in an acute care setting that’s customized for their level of illness. Seasons offers an alternative to hospitalization and provides two levels of care: partial hospital (five-days per week program) and intensive outpatient (three-days a week program).
Seasons adds to IOP’s the continuum of care in traditional outpatient, inpatient and nursing home consultation services.
Announcements
- Mitchelle Morrison, OCIO-Information Services, reminded employees that the deadline for activating their NetID is 2 p.m., Sept. 24. Anyone who has not activated their NetID at this time, will have their MNA account and LYNX ID immediately disabled. Broadcast and direct e-mails reminding employees about this change has been distributed with a final warning scheduled for broadcast Sept. 21. Visit http://netid.musc.edu to set up a user name and password. The purpose of NetID is to merge both MNA and LYNX ID as the first step in meeting the goal of a single sign on mechanism to MUSC systems. The schedule for drop-in help for NetID: 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., Sept. 21; 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sept. 24; and 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. All sessions will be held in Room 271, Main Hospital. The drop-in sessions held in the Education Center/Library lobby will be 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sept. 21; 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sept. 24; and 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25.
- The next Hospital Communications/Currents meeting is scheduled for Oct. 2.
Friday, Sept. 21, 2007
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