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To Medical Center Employees:
Recently, we completed 15 town hall sessions attended by approximately
1,200 individuals, and I want to thank everyone who attended.
The town hall agenda included an update on our pillar-based goals, a
summary of results to date of our cost savings initiatives and
highlights of the American Hospital Association’s general outlook for
the direction of health care under the new administration.
Everyone is encouraged to attend the town hall meetings, but I know
it’s difficult for many to schedule time. The town hall presentation
slides are posted on the MUSC Excellence Web site (http://mcintranet.musc.edu/muscexcellence/townhall/townhall.htm). The results from the town hall evaluations completed by those who attended will be posted on the site later.
At the March 31 communication meeting Steve Hargett, medical center
controller, reported favorable financial results for the month of
February. We still have a negative bottom line for the year, but if we
continue the progress made during February we should end the year with
a positive bottom line. Additional details are outlined in this
newsletter.
Like other hospitals and employers, we have faced exceptionally
difficult challenges this year. Although we will need to continue to
remain focused on operational efficiency, there are clear signs, thanks
to everyone’s efforts, we are making good progress in controlling costs
while providing high quality and compassionate care. We have good
reason to be optimistic about the future.
Helena Bastian, medical center human resources director, updated the
management team during the communication meeting on plans to roll out
our annual employee perspective survey. This online survey will be used
to measure progress with employee satisfaction and engagement by
department as well as organization-wide. The results of the survey will
also be used to set goals for next fiscal year. Individual responses
will be confidential. The survey will be conducted April 27 through May
8. All Medical Center employees are asked to participate.
This year Press Ganey, a leading national survey firm that we have used
for several years, has modified its survey to measure both satisfaction
and engagement. “Engagement” involves building enduring relationships
with employees to achieve our goals. This year’s modified survey will
be streamlined by reducing questions from 67 to 51. We will still have
the capability to compare core questions and results to those included
in our previous surveys. Press Ganey points out the new survey will
also help pinpoint the most promising opportunities for improvement.
Again, I want to thank everyone for your hard work and dedication.
W. Stuart Smith
Vice President for Clinical Operations
and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center
People—Fostering employee pride and loyalty
Gwen
Brown, Ambulatory Care business operations coordinator, announced
April’s standard of behavior is hand hygiene (Policy IC#3-008 and
Policy A-04), which is the most basic infection prevention.
Brown reminded staff that germs are present in our hands and can affect
quality safety care and cause illnesses throughout the organization.
Hands should be thoroughly washed with antiseptic soap and water and
decontaminated with an alcohol hand antiseptic. Proper hand washing
takes about 15 seconds or equivalent to singing two versus of the song,
“Yankee Doodle.” Infection Control and Prevention’s Linda
Formby, R.N., demonstrated a hand washing check with several managers
using glo germ liquid to demonstrate proper hand washing using an
ultraviolet light. Sharon DeGrace, R.N., Dave Neff, Bill Springs and
June Darby, R.N. participated in the demonstration. Wanda Beardsley,
R.N., and Lee Ann Boyd, R.N., a visiting nurse from the UK, assisted.
Formby reminded managers that a hand washing hygiene kit is available
for check-out by units. For information, contact Charmaine Wilson at
792-4308.
HR update
Helena Bastian, MUHA Human Resources director, reported on the following:
- Press
Ganey’s new Employee Partnership Survey (replaces the Employee
Perspectives Survey)—They enhanced their past employee survey model to
include satisfaction and employee engagement.
- Other
Press Ganey clients, who’ve reached the 90th percentile or greater,
scored high in both the satisfaction and engagement areas.
- New survey has been redesigned to be direct, relevant and eliminates redundancies.
- Standard questions have been reduced from 67 to 39 questions.
- An additional 12 custom questions will be included.
- Focus
on five partnership principles —Leadership and Systems (job security,
input on decision making, information); resources (pay, physical
environment, equipment); team work (respect, coordination); direct
management (feedback, coaching, trust, communi-cations, recognition);
and engagement (purpose, fulfillment, openness)—job, work or
organizational.
- MUHA Human Resources will lead a communication campaign to provide definitions for senior leadership, direct management, etc.
Enhancement to reports
- New employee partnership report will be shorter, easier to understand (reduce from 30 pages to eight pages)
- Managers will have online access to reports.
- Employee
partnership score will replace the overall mean score. The partnership
score will be an all-inclusive measurement of satisfaction and
engagement. Separate scores will be provided for overall satisfaction
and overall engagement.
- Press Ganey suggested that we repeat two questions used from the 2008 survey for the 2009 survey for comparison.
- As managers prepare their departmental/units action plans, please communicate any specific issues.
- 2009
Employee Partnership Survey will take place between April 27 and May 8.
It will be available online only. Management information packets will
be forthcoming.
- Performance
Management Process Transition Update—plans are to move forward with
selected vendor; collaboration with legal office; replacement of a
Web-based form; transition meetings scheduled for April and May
Human resources training
- CATTS Admin Access—9 to 11:30 a.m., April 1, Room 438, Education Center/Library Building
- HML Discussion—1 to 2 p.m., April 6, Room 628, Clinical Sciences Building
- Selecting Talent—8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., April 8, Room 2408, Ashley River Tower
- Medical Terminology I—2 to 3:30 p.m., April 8, 2West Classroom
- Dealing with Difficult People, 10-11 a.m., May 6, Room 628, Clinical Sciences Building
- CATTS Primary Source Verification training — 9 to 10:30 a.m., April 6, April 15, April 22 and April 28
Benefit of the Month—April
Bastian introduced the April benefit of the month: Rapid Access Center,
University Internal Medicine provides personal health care for adults.
Employees can utilize the Rapid Access Center. It provides fast,
same-day primary care appointment needs for adult care patients. It is
located on the 8th floor of Rutledge Tower and is open from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m., Monday through Friday.
Rapid Access is designed to support all MUSC/MUHA, UMA employees and their adult family members. Call 876-0888.
LEM tool update
Maggie Thompson, service excellence manager and member of the leader
evaluation manager (LEM) team, spoke about updates to the LEM tool,
which is used by leaders to track goals. A reminder was sent out via
e-mail. The information also is posted at the LEM Web page via the MUHA
intranet. Thompson urged managers to look at the last document. The
tool will be unavailable from April 2 to April 3 and a revised tool
will be available beginning April 6. The URL link to the tool will
change, so users must update desktop shortcuts.
All links to the tool from the Intranet and HBI will be updated.
Username and password remain the same. The LEM team is offering goal
development sessions in May. Jane Scutt sent out an e-mail with
information.
Administrators are encouraged to contact Torri Jacobsen, 792-7274, to
schedule their service line or group. LDI leaders also will receive
e-mail communications with dates/times of available drop-in sessions.
Finance—Providing the highest value to patients while ensuring financial stability
Stephen Hargett, medical center controller, gave the financial report
emphasizing a continued track for progress since the last quarter.
For the month of February, MUHA demonstrated a $2.6 million gain,
resulting in three months in a row and four out of the last five months
that the medical center reflects gains. This brings the total down to
-$3.4 million loss year to date.
Hargett commended MUHA staff for managing their productivity during
this period. MUHA is able to handle more acute and surgery/medical
patients while managing staffing. The hospital’s case mix index, which
reflects the intensity of the hospital’s patients, is higher than ever
during this period. Although patient admissions remain steady, the
average daily census is up resulting in an increase in the average
length of stay.
Cash in February was lower than January. However, the hospital expects
to receive a large Medicaid program payment in early April.
Announcements
- Heather
Kokko, PharmD, and SCCO clinical assistant professor, was named interim
director of the Department of Pharmacy Services for MUHA. She replaces
Paul Bush, PharmD, who left to assume a new position as director of
pharmacy at Duke University.
- Rachel
Abbonizio, R.N., is the new nurse manager in the Digestive Disease
Service Line managing the GI Medicine and Surgery clinics, outpatient
scheduling and nurse coordinators. Abbonizio has been at MUSC since
2002 and was previously Clinical Operations coordinator, Prep and
Recovery, Heart & Vascular Center.
Friday, April 3, 2009
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