To Medical Center Employees:
Our nation celebrated Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11. Veterans’ Day is a special day to honor the men and women who fought for our country during wartime and those who dedicated their lives during peacetime. Many MUSC employees are veterans, and we owe them deep appreciation for their sacrifices to preserve our freedom and way of life.
 
This week the medical center management team will take part in our 12th MUSC Excellence Leadership Development Institute (LDI). The LDIs serve to make our management team better leaders. This week’s mini- LDI will be held on campus. In order to accommodate all attendees we will have two repeat half day sessions.
 
LDI topics will include: goals update with particular focus on the financial goal; sustaining MUSC Excellence during challenging times; key MUST HAVES including rounding and discharge phone calls; employee perspectives survey organization-wide action plan; update on the new compensation structure and evaluation system planned for next fiscal year; and physician satisfaction survey results.

The past six months the medical center has faced significant financial challenges. The MUSC Excellence tools and practices have served us well during this tough time. We are beginning to see some positive results from our efforts and I remain optimistic that we will meet our goals this year.
 
I want to thank everyone for your hard work in providing compassionate and high quality care and service during these challenging times.

W. Stuart Smith
Vice President for Clinical Operations
and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center

People—Fostering employee pride and loyalty
Richard Gadsden, OCIO, Information Security Office, spoke to managers about the institution’s need to be vigilant about maintaining different types of sensitive data to the MUSC community. Any loss or breach of sensitive data can have long-term and costly consequences for MUSC. Since laptops and other mobile devices are high risk of being stolen or lost, Gadsden alerted managers that confidentiality of that data is placed in serious jeopardy. MUSC is required by law to notify, in writing, any individual whose person-ally-identifiable information has been lost or exposed.
 
Any breach affecting more than 1,000 individuals must be reported to the S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs. Unfortunately, lost and stolen laptops are one of the most common ways that organizations suffer data losses. Fortunately, a technology known as full-disk encryption is available, will encrypt the entire contents of the laptop’s hard drive.  It is considered an effective defense against data loss and protects the confidentiality of information stored on the hard drive during loss or theft of a laptop. OCIO acquired a site license for McAfee Endpoint Encryption (formerly SafeBoot Encryption), a full disk encryption product. Gadsden  encour-ages this software be installed on any computer where sensitive information is stored on the hard drive. A team is ready to assist with software installation of the encryption product. Call 792-9700.

Employee Benefit of the Month—November
Annie Lovering, R.N., Health 1st wellness coordinator, reminded managers of the Nov. 20 worksite screening at Hollings Cancer Center. The event, from 7 to 11 a.m., is open to  employees who are subscribers of the State Health Plan (Blue Choice/Companion, Cigna and MUSC Options) interested in receiving a preventive health screening. The screening, estimated to be a $200 value, is available for a $15 co-payment. The screening provides chemistry/lipid profiles, hemogram and participants will receive a report within two to four  weeks of the screening. Employees without insurance or dependents pay $38 for the screening.
 
Preregistration and prepayment is required. For information, e-mail or call Beka Hardin by Nov. 18. at http://www.musc.edu/medcenter/health1st or call 792-9959.
 
HR update

• Deadline for the completion of CATTS lessons is Dec. 1.

• Position/Employee Action Request (PEARS) for New Hires must be submitted to MUHA HR the Wednesday prior to orientation.

• Terminating MUHA employees should be instructed to meet with an HR representative prior to leaving to complete necessary paperwork. 
  

• Standardization of unit files—this project will be forthcoming with a guide to utilize in order to standardize filing within the unit personnel files.

• MUHA HR director Helena Bastian thanked all managers and staff for their work with the recent CMH transition.

Facilities/capital planning project update
Dennis Frazier, administrator for facilities and capital planning, reviewed details of the CMH transfer of services to MUHA. Frazier has been working with a 24-member CMH Transfer of Services Planning Committee regarding this.

• Patient Care—Emergency Depart-ment and Transitional Care Unit; Ancillary—Pharmacy, Laboratory Services and Radiology, etc.; Support— Security, Environmental and Food Services, Maintenance, will continue with modified operations in CMH/ McClennan Banks. CMH and McClennan Banks will remain open and Kindred Hospital will remain at CMH.

• Other moves—7W to 10W; 2C to 7W.

• Current facilities timeline includes: Peds ED (on Nov. 14, will undergo DHEC certification), CMH ED to vacated Peds ED/Adult ED and TCU to 2C; Nov. 17-21-DHEC licensing for Peds ED, 10W and 9W. Nov. 18—7E to 9W and February 2009, 9E construction completed.
  

Frazier also showed managers, via PowerPoint photos and plans, regarding progress with other hospitalwide renovation projects throughout MUHA.

Education roll-out update
Laurie Zone-Smith, Ph.D., R.N., manager for the center for professional development and clinical education resources and interim manager, dialysis and hemapheresis, spoke to managers about topics from the Nov. 6 meeting. The team reviewed details with the Medical Emergency Team Watch, antiocoagulation management/treat-ment and other projects.

Finance—Providing the highest value to patients while ensuring financial stability
Lisa Montgomery, vice president for finance and administration, reviewed the university’s current financial situation. The state cuts are a response of the current general economy, tax revenue, and downturn in personal income.
 
She reminded managers that the university receives its funds from three resources—tuition, grant money (restricted funds) and state appropriations. MUSC took a 30.92 percent  cut or almost $30 million reduction from FY2001 to FY 2008.
 
Montgomery cautioned staff that the Board of Economic Advisors also has indicated that additional cuts may be necessary given their projections for the remainder of the year.
 
Other state institutions are handling budget cuts in various ways. On Nov. 10, Clemson University imposed five unpaid days off for staff during the next several months to help pay down $25 million in state cuts from their FY budget.
 
MUSC continues to adjust after three rounds of state cuts imposed since the start of the fiscal year, July 1, cutting almost $17 million or 17.58 percent from its overall budget.
 
Starting July 1, MUSC’s budget was cut by 2.68 percent; in August by 3 percent  and in October, by 11.90 percent for a total of 17.58 percent or $16,834,529. As of early November, MUSC's college deans and department heads have worked diligently to review information and make recommendations to university leadership about budget reductions in each of their areas. Currently, the university's projected total budget reduction allocation is $15,443,934.
 
Montgomery also announced that MUSC will charge for patient parking effective Nov. 17. Outpatient parking will be 75 cents per half-hour, not to exceed $3; overnight, $6, and valet parking, $5.

Announcements
The next meeting is Nov. 18.

Friday, Nov. 14, 2008