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A MODELIMPROVEMENTHEALTHCARE

for

2 0 0 9 R E P O R T T O S TA K E H O L D E R S

H E A L T H S C I E N C E S S O U T H C A R O L I N A

OUR WORK IS DRIVEN

BY OUR MISSION

With regard to Health Status, we will accomplish this by:

> Translating research results into clinical practice.

> Promoting wellness and implementing disease management programs to reduce disparities in health status.

> Improving patient safety and clinical effectiveness.

With regard to Education and Workforce Development,we will accomplish this by:

> Improving the quality of and access to health-related education.

> Increasing the number of health-related professionals trained.

With regard to Economic Wellbeing, we will accomplish this by:

> Attracting a significant increase in funding to South Carolina for health sciences research.

> Attracting nationally prominent scientists to South Carolina,bringing intellectual property to stimulate the state’s knowledge-based economy.

> Creating and attracting health-related companies to South Carolina that will increase the number of highly skilled jobs.

The Mission of Health Sciences South Carolina is to conductcollaborative health sciences research to improve the healthstatus, education, workforce development, and economic wellbeing for all South Carolinians.

SOUTH CAROLINA IS HOME TO THE FIRST STATEWIDE HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE.

WE ARE A MODEL FOR

HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENTWe all agree that healthcare in America could be better. Just how to improve it is the subject of great debate.

There is no question that South Carolina faces significant public health challenges thataffect economic prosperity. We are plagued by high rates of cancer, heart disease andstroke. Chronic diseases like diabetes permeate our population. Obesity, which opens the door to all number of ailments, is far too common. There’s also the troubling issueof disparity among large segments of our population, primarily African Americans and low income rural populations, who are adversely impacted by disease and lack of access to healthcare.

Yet South Carolina is blessed with visionary leaders who not only agree healthcare could be better, but also agree we should be working together to make it better. Agreethat our universities, health systems, state associations, state agencies, and electedofficials can achieve results more quickly through collaboration. Agree that together we will change the course of our state’s public health and economy.

This vision led to the creation of Health Sciences South Carolina in 2004. Today, working as one, South Carolina is a model for healthcare improvement.

JAY MOSKOWITZ, PHD I President & CEO, Health Sciences South Carolina

2 Health Sciences South Carolina 2009 Annual Report

D E A R S TA K E H O L D E R S,

The only constant in life is that the world is constantly changing, and it is change that defines America today. Thedownturn in our economy and the call for the reform of our healthcare system have created many challenges forour nation and our state, but also many opportunities. It is my belief that when the night is at its darkest, that is whenwe are at our best. That is when creativity, determination, and strength begin and greatness happens.

This was the case with Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) and our partners in 2009.

The spirit and vision of this unique collaboration continues to flourish and yield the research-driven results set forthin our mission and expected by those who have invested in our efforts. We continue to be an enthusiastic and activeparticipant in the State’s Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Program. There are now twelve HSSC-supportedCoEEs. Two endowed chairs were successfully recruited, bringing our total to ten. The breadth and diversity of talentin these CoEEs is exactly what our state needs to drive economic change.

HSSC has continued to build important infrastructure, most notably our statewide information technology systemto support both collaborative research and healthcare quality improvement. Understand, this system benefits the

The theme of this year’s annual report, A Model for Healthcare

Improvement, reflects Health Sciences South Carolina’s aim to make

our state a leader in the discovery, development, and delivery of

novel healthcare treatments, clinical processes, and facilities design.

In 2009, we actively recruited strategic partners in government,

industry, and healthcare who share our vision and put forth effort

and resources to make change possible.

Letter from the

PRESIDENT

A M O D E L F O R H E A LT H C A R E I M P R O V E M E N T 3

Jay Moskowitz, PhDPresident and CEO, Health Sciences South CarolinaEndowed Chair, Translational Clinical Research,

Healthcare Quality CoEE

research of HSSC partner universities and health systems, but it alsowill be a highly sought-after asset we will market to pharmaceutical,diagnostics and medical device companies that must conduct trialsof new technologies before they can be commercialized.Conversations about these opportunities are accelerating ascompanies recognize the power of this unique, statewide research-enabling asset.

Improving our state’s health status is a top priority and HSSC took agiant leap forward in 2009 with the creation of the South CarolinaHealthcare Quality Trust, a first in the nation effort that couplesresearch universities, health systems, and industry to improvehealthcare quality and patient safety. Our first initiative targets theelimination of unintended healthcare-associated infections fromSouth Carolina’s hospitals. If successful, it has the potential to savelives and save our state’s hospitals as much as $40 million a yearwhich is now being spent to treat such infections. A completeoverview of the initiative and how it is already benefitting all sixty-fiveof our state’s acute care hospitals is included in this report.

There is a major national effort underway to use informationtechnology (IT) to improve our healthcare system, the quality andsafety of healthcare, and to do so in a much more cost efficient way.The federal government has made billions of dollars available tostates and healthcare providers that adopt IT in the form ofelectronic health records, and use it in a meaningful way to improvecare and cut costs. Since May, HSSC has been strategically alignedwith the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services(SC DHHS) in leading a statewide strategic planning effort todevelop a single, comprehensive health IT plan for our state thatultimately will improve clinical care, support research, stimulate jobcreation in well-paying IT careers, and maximize federal funding toSouth Carolina. The planning process has been open to all comersand more than two-hundred organizations and individuals haveparticipated in the planning process. It is exciting to see such adiverse group of stakeholders, from state agencies andprofessional associations, hospitals and doctors, insurancecompanies and IT vendors, to patient advocates and concernedcitizens, come together in this effort to position our state for ahealthier, wealthier future.

HSSC implemented and continued initiatives targeted at rural andunderserved populations. The REACH Stroke Network continues toleverage telemedicine linking small and rural hospitals to expert,potentially life-saving stroke care. We have begun a research initiativewith the Lakelands Rural Health Network that looks at ways toimprove chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes and hypertensionand studies the value of health information exchanges.

In closing, I would like to thank the South Carolina General Assemblyand The Duke Endowment for your vision and belief that researchcan drive positive change for all South Carolinians. Without you andthe many other people and organizations who have given soselflessly to our efforts, we would not be the model of healthcareimprovement that we are today.


BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TO THE PEOPLE OF

SOUTH CAROLINA,We live in challenging times. Money is tight. Jobs are scarce. Needs are

great. It would be easy to succumb to the turbulence and be content to

sit on the sidelines and wait for better days. That is not the nature of

South Carolina. And it is definitely not the nature of this great partnership

called Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC).



WORKING TOGETHER, WE ARE STRONGER, THE RESULTS GREATER.

When HSSC began five years ago, there wasnothing else like it in the country. No otherstate had even attempted to bring togetherits largest research universities and healthsystems as collaborative partners inresearch and translating it to patientbedsides. Perhaps wealthier states anduniversities had enough resources to go italone. South Carolina did not. So we pooledour resources—intellectual, physical andfinancial—and with the shared vision ofimproving our state’s economy and publichealth firmly in place, forged ahead.

Today South Carolina is ahead of the game.While other states are recognizing thetraction a statewide partnership affords,thus seeking to emulate HSSC, our first inthe nation collaborative is yielding tangibleresults. There are now twelve HSSC-sponsored Centers of Economic Excellence(CoEEs) using research to address specificchallenges and opportunities and deliversolutions for our state, nation and the world.

These research-driven solutions areaffecting hospitals, doctors, nurses, andpatients throughout South Carolina. TheStroke Center now has nine partnerhospitals in the Lowcountry, PeeDee,Piedmont, and on the coast that are utilizing the telemedicine of the REACHStroke Network and expertise of MUSCneurologists to save lives. The Center forHealthcare Quality is well on its way tobuilding a statewide information technologysystem linking hospitals, doctors, and clinicsin every corner of the state. This system will

support dual purposes: research and a morecoordinated, integrated approach to patientcare. The South Carolina Healthcare QualityTrust, a partnership that includes HSSC, theSouth Carolina Hospital Association andPremier Inc., is working to eliminate costly,life-threatening infections at all 65 acutecare hospitals in our state by sharinginformation and research results from HSSC member organizations.

Being first in the nation means HSSC and itspartners are setting the standards for therest of the world to follow. Recognizing thatcollaboration makes budgets go further—something we did before the nationaleconomic malaise struck—forced us toadopt a “lean” strategy of doing more with less. As a result, we are conductingmore research, creating more economicopportunities, attracting more investment,and delivering more and better care topatients in every hospital in South Carolina.This is something we can all be proud of,and more importantly, continue so that ourstate can maintain its rise to the top.

Ingo Angermeier, FACHEPresident and CEOSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System


Ingo Angermeier, FACHE, Chair, President and CEO, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare SystemJames Barker, FAIA, Vice Chair, President, Clemson UniversityCharles Beaman, Jr., President and CEO, Palmetto HealthRaymond Greenberg, MD, PhD, President, Medical University of South CarolinaJay Moskowitz, PhD, President and CEO, Health Sciences South CarolinaHarris Pastides, PhD, MPH, President, University of South CarolinaMichael Riordan, President and CEO, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center


POLICY STEERING COMMITTEE

MAJOR MILESTONE:FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING

Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) was established in 2004 as

the nation’s first statewide biomedical research collaborative. Today

it is composed of the state’s largest health systems—Greenville

Hospital System University Medical Center, Palmetto Health,

Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, and MUSC Health—

and the state’s largest research-intensive universities—Clemson

University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the

University of South Carolina.

HSSC’s vision is to transform the state’s publichealth and economic wellbeing throughresearch. We’re also committed to educating and training the healthcare workforce.

In our first five years, HSSC has experiencedunprecedented growth as a direct result ofstatewide collaboration. HSSC is a majorsupporter of and participant in the state’sCenters of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Program,providing financial and administrative support to twelve CoEEs. To date, ten world-classresearchers have been recruited as endowedchairs. The CoEEs have created well-payingresearch and support jobs, including more thantwenty within the Center for Healthcare Qualityalone. Research conducted within the CoEEs iscreating investment opportunities and spin-offcompanies and providing the State of South

Carolina with a stronger foundation in theknowledge economy.

HSSC has engaged strategic partners like theSouth Carolina Hospital Association to addressissues such as healthcare quality and patientsafety. We are leading an effort along with theSouth Carolina Department of Health and HumanServices to develop a statewide strategic plan fore-health. HSSC is in the process of developing a statewide health information technologyinfrastructure to support research and advancepatient care. These and other efforts haveattracted investment from government fundingsources like the National Institutes of Health,the U.S. Department of Defense, the FederalCommunications Commission and positionedSouth Carolina to receive funding through the2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Clear vision, mission, and motivation put HSSC on the fast track


POLICY STEERING COMMITTEE GETSNEW NAME, EXPANDED ROLE

When HSSC was founded in 2004, its governance includeda Board of Directors and a Scientific Steering Committee. Infive years, the complexity and scope of HSSC’s variousresearch initiatives have demanded changes to theorganization. In 2009, the HSSC Board agreed that theScientific Steering Committee had outgrown its originalpurpose. It was subsequently renamed the Policy SteeringCommittee, its function became more focused, and aScience and Medicine Sub-Committee was added. ThePolicy Steering Committee remains a senior committeewithin HSSC, promoting interaction and dialogue betweenHSSC member organizations and other stakeholders onpolicy issues relating to research, healthcare and education.It also provides the statewide perspective on ongoingscience and medicine policy and regulatory issues.

Jerry Youkey, MD, Chair, Vice President of Medical & Academic Services, Greenville Hospital System University Medical CenterJohn Raymond, MD, Vice Chair, Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs, Medical University of South CarolinaJames Bearden, III, MD, FACP, Vice President of Clinical Research, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare SystemDonald DiPette, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of South CarolinaRichard Hoppmann, MD, Dean of the School of Medicine, University of South CarolinaRussell Pate, PhD, Associate Vice President for Health Sciences, University of South CarolinaChris Przirembel, PhD, Vice President for Research & Economic Development, Clemson UniversityJames (Jim) Raymond, MD, Senior Vice President for Quality, Medical Education & Research, Palmetto HealthJerry Reves, Vice President for Medical Affairs, Dean of College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina

Over the last five years, HSSC’s staff has grown to more than 20 employees.


BRAIN IMAGING COEE

CANCER STEM CELL BIOLOGY AND THERAPY COEE

CHILDHOOD NEUROTHERAPEUTICS COEE

Paul S. Morgan, PhDEndowed Chair

PartnersGreenville Hospital SystemMedical University of South CarolinaPalmetto Health (McCausland Center for Brain Imaging)University of South Carolina

Rosemarie M. Booze, PhDDirector

PartnersGreenville Hospital SystemMedical University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina

Andrew S. Kraft, MDDirector

PartnersClemson UniversityMedical University of South Carolina

The Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Program was created by the South Carolina legislature in2002 and is funded through South Carolina Education Lottery proceeds. The legislation authorizes thestate’s three public research institutions, Clemson University, Medical University of South Carolina(MUSC), and the University of South Carolina, to use state funds to create CoEEs in research areas thatwill advance South Carolina’s economy. Each Center is awarded from $2 million to $5 million in statefunds, which must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with non-state investment. To date, 46Centers of Economic Excellence have been created and 22 endowed chairs have been appointed to lead the centers. The CoEE Program has resulted in more than a quarter billion dollars of non-stateinvestment in the South Carolina economy and is responsible for the creation of more than 2,000 jobs.

Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) and its member organizations have supported the CoEE Programsince 2004. HSSC members have invested millions of dollars as matching funds and helped secure otherfinancial benefactors, notably The Duke Endowment, which awarded $21 million to the Center forHealthcare Quality in 2006. There are now twelve HSSC-supported CoEEs and ten endowed chairs.

HSSC SUPPORTS TWELVE

CENTERS OF ECONOMIC EXCELLENCEspurring research, innovation, job creation, and a healthier world


CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS AND PATIENT SAFETY COEE

HEALTH FACILITIES DESIGN AND TESTING COEE

David J. Allison, AIADirector

PartnersClemson UniversityMedical University of South CarolinaSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

John J. Schaefer, III, MDLewis Blackman Endowed

Chair for Patient Safety

PartnersClemson UniversityGreenville Hospital SystemMedical University of South CarolinaPalmetto HealthSpartanburg Regional Healthcare SystemUniversity of South Carolina

Jihad S. Obeid, MDEndowed Chair for

Biomedical Informatics

Rita Snyder, PhD, RNEndowed Chair for Clinical

Effectiveness and Patient Safety

HEALTHCARE QUALITY COEE

Jay Moskowitz, PhDEndowed Chair for

Translational Research

PartnersClemson UniversityGreenville Hospital System Medical University of South CarolinaPalmetto HealthSpartanburg Regional Healthcare SystemUniversity of South Carolina

Iain Sanderson, MSc, FRCAEndowed Chair for Medical

Informatics

1 0 Health Sciences South Carolina 2009 Annual Report

Marc Chimowitz, MD

Rita Snyder, PhD, RN

SENIORSMART™ COEE

Paul Eleazer, MDDirector

PartnersClemson UniversityGreenville Hospital SystemMedical University of South CarolinaPalmetto HealthUniversity of South Carolina

HSSC WELCOMES NEW ENDOWED CHAIRS

In 2009, HSSC welcomed Rita Snyder, PhD, RN, and Marc Chimowitz, MD, as CoEEendowed chairs. Dr. Snyder was recruited as the third and final endowed chair in theCenter for Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety based at MUSC. An expert in patientsafety, Dr. Snyder is based at the University of South Carolina and is working to makeSouth Carolina a leader in the field of healthcare education using simulation techniques.

Dr. Chimowitz was recruited as the Countess Alicia Paolozzi Endowed Chair inTranslational Neurology within the Stroke Center. Based at MUSC, his research focuses on treatments to prevent stroke caused by narrowing of brain arteries. He also directs oneof the largest clinical trial grants at MUSC, studying the value of using stents to preventstrokes in patients whose brain arteries have narrowed and hardened due to plaque.

MEDICATION SAFETY AND EFFICACY COEE

Rick G. Schnellmann, PhDDirector

PartnersMedical University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina

NEW TECHNOLOGY CENTER TO ENHANCE HEALTHFUL LIFESTYLES COEE

Steven N. Blair, PEDCo-director

Carolyn M. Jenkins, DrPHCo-director

PartnersMedical University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina

MOLECULAR PROTEOMICS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT COEE

Michael R. Zile, MDDirector

PartnersClemson UniversityMedical University of South CarolinaSpartanburg Regional Healthcare SystemUniversity of South Carolina

Robert J. Adams, MS, MDEndowed Chair for Stroke

PartnersGreenville Hospital SystemMedical University of South CarolinaPalmetto HealthUniversity of South Carolina

A M O D E L F O R H E A LT H C A R E I M P R O V E M E N T 1 1

STROKE COEE

Marc Chimowitz, MDCountess Alicia Paolozzi Endowed

Chair in Translational Neurology

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES ARE KEY TO STATE’S FUTURE

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, South Carolina ranks sixth inthe nation in obesity and seventh in diabetes. Chronic diseases like these have a negativeeffect on the state’s public health and economy. HSSC is supporting the new TechnologyCenter to Enhance Healthful Lifestyles to address this serious threat. The twelfth HSSC-supported Center of Economic Excellence, the Center is developing new technologies for improving health, preventing illness and managing chronic health problems.

MUSC and USC are working together to develop interactive, web-based coachingprograms designed to help people make healthy lifestyle choices. Such tools will beaccessible to anyone with computer access, reducing health disparities, improvingeconomic wellbeing, and enhancing the quality of life in South Carolina.

Martin Morad, PhDBlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Health

REGENERATIVE MEDICINE COEE

Richard E. Swaja, PhDEndowed Chair for

Regenerative Medicine in Stem Cell Technology

PartnersClemson UniversityMedical University of South CarolinaUniversity of South Carolina

ANDREW S. KRAFT, MD l Director, Center for Cancer Stem Cell Biology and Therapy l Director, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

In June 2004, Dr. Andrew S. Kraft, a medical oncologist and nationally recognized cancerresearcher, accepted the position as director of the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. In additionto serving as a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and associate dean ofOncology Affairs at MUSC, he is the director of the HSSC-supported Cancer Stem Cell Biologyand Therapy Center of Economic Excellence (CoEE).



Q. You are a celebrated cancer researcher.What brought you to South Carolina and MUSC?

A. In a word, opportunity. I had the honor and good fortune to work at National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated comprehensive cancer centers in Colorado and Alabama.The MUSC search committee was looking for someone to help secure NCI-designation for the Hollings Cancer Center.It’s not an easy process. Although North Carolina has two such centers, there wasn’t one in South Carolina or Georgia.When I visited South Carolina and saw the commitment of MUSC, former Senator Fritz Hollings and other leaders, I thought it would be a wonderful career challenge.

Q. Just five years after your coming to South Carolina, MUSC succeeded in earning NCI designation for the Hollings Cancer Center.How were you able to achieve this? Why is it so important?

A. This is a first for South Carolina. The NCI designation recognizes Hollings Cancer Center’s scientific excellence and its leadership in developing cutting-edge treatments and integrating research approaches that focus on cancer. It is a distinction earned over many years through collaboration and innovation by dedicated researchers, clinicians and staff throughout Hollings Cancer Center and MUSC, and more recently, with support from Health Sciences South Carolina and our partner universities and health systems. What is thrilling for me personally is that this win benefits all South Carolinians – because the state has such high rates of breast, lung and prostate cancer. No longer do our citizens have to leave the state for the most advanced cancer treatments and protocols. It’s right here. Additionally, the NCI designation included more than $7 million in grant

money to sustain and continue research at the Hollings Cancer Center, a much needed financial boost during these difficult times.

Q. What are the key elements for enabling the kind of novel cancer research that leads to innovation and discovery?

A. Research means hope to cancer patients who are often in a life or death struggle.And that takes funding. Money invested in research, whether from the state or federal government, private industry or charitable foundations, is really money invested in life.

Q. How involved are you with the Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Program?

A. I am the director of the HSSC-supported Center for Cancer Stem Cell Biology and Therapy. As the director of the Hollings Cancer Center, I’m involved in six cancer-related CoEEs. I am a huge proponent of HSSC and the CoEE Program because of the vision of using research to improve South Carolina’s health and economy. It’s enabled us to attract and engage great people to our cause as well as investment.As recently as December, RBC Insurance donated $100,000 to the Hollings Cancer Center to fund seed grants for research projects within the Cancer Stem Cell Biology and Therapy CoEE. People understand research holds the key to our future and are willing to invest.It’s inspiring.

Q. What’s next on your agenda?

A. My primary goals are to achieve Comprehensive Cancer Center status from the NCI, which is the highest recognition a cancer center can receive,and to recruit the best individuals to fill the endowed chairs created by the CoEEs.

A CONVERSATION WITH

ANDREW KRAFT, MDMEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA


HSSC IS CREATING A STATEWIDE

HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMthat will transform patient care, and streamline healthcareadministration by accelerating best practices and comparativeeffectiveness research. The Health Sciences South CarolinaIntegrated Platform for Research (SCIPR) will link universitiesand urban health systems into a single, integrated clinicaltrials network with a set of common processes and tools for researchers.

Information technology (IT) is rapidlytransforming medical research andhealthcare around the world. In SouthCarolina, HSSC and its partners are leading a major effort to build a comprehensivestatewide IT research system, SCIPR, whichin association with other HSSC initiatives,has the potential to make our state the mostinterconnected in the country. This highlyintegrated health-focused IT infrastructurewill have the power and flexibility to:

> Accelerate research projects> Facilitate data collection and analysis> Attract clinical trials of pharmaceuticals

and medical devices> Enable healthcare providers in urban

and rural locations to share medical records electronically

> Support a growing telemedicine enterprise

> Improve patient care

The effort is unique in the nation. The scaleof the SCIPR infrastructure will satisfyclinical, operational, and qualityrequirements for researchers, hospitals,physicians, and other healthcare providersacross the state. Specific tools like SC LightRail provide high-speed connectivitybetween the state’s research universitiesand major hospitals and will enable SouthCarolina to connect with national networksfor data collection and sharing. HSSC’sgovernance structure is managing issuessuch as data ownership, privacy, security,and consent agreements.

The completion of SCIPR along with SouthCarolina’s statewide clinical IT systems willput our state at the forefront of the nationalmovement to transform healthcare and thehealthcare delivery system throughintelligent health information automation.

MAJOR INITIATIVE ONE


HSSC adds staff at MUSC to execute the IT plan.

“What we are doing in South Carolina is unprecedented. We are taking thenational lead in developing a research informatics infrastructure that will linkresearch universities and health systems in every corner of the state. Whencompleted, researchers in South Carolina will be better able to compete formillions of dollars in federal funding, while healthcare providers will be able to provide better, more coordinated and safer care to patients.”

Iain Sanderson, MSc, FRCAHSSC Chief Medical Information Officer


WHY HEALTH IT?

Business and financial institutions have usedinformation technology (IT) to streamline operations,improve quality and enhance customer service formany years. Healthcare, on the other hand, has beenslower on the uptake. Now leaders like HSSC and itspartners, Clemson University, Greenville HospitalSystem University Medical Center, the MedicalUniversity of South Carolina, Palmetto Health,Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, and theUniversity of South Carolina, are helping SouthCarolina take the lead in the creation and adoption of a statewide health IT system.

Yes, the system will primarily target research, but italso promises to advance South Carolina’s public

health through recommendations that improve andchange clinical practice and provide direct clinicaldecision support to providers at the bedside or clinic.The use of health IT has the potential to improvehealth care quality, prevent medical errors, reducecosts, expand access to affordable care, and improveoverall health. Greater access to a patient’s healthinformation helps doctors and hospitals in diagnosingdisease and developing care plans. It eliminates the slow process of faxing documents. Greaterunderstanding of a patient’s medical history helpsavoid adverse events such as drug interactions andultimately leads to safer care.

In February 2009, the HSSC Board of Directors and the Chief Information Officer (CIO)Committee approved the HSSC information technology (IT) business plan, clearing the way forits execution. After an extensive evaluation and negotiation process, contracts were initiatedwith world-class IT companies to assist HSSC in creating an unprecedented statewide ITinfrastructure to support research and healthcare quality improvement.

> Sun Microsystems and Recombinant Data Corporation have been contracted to provide an Enterprise Master Patient Index and a Clinical Research Data Warehouse.

> Sun Microsystems has been contracted to provide the server hardware housed at Clemson University’s Data Center.

> ClickCommerce was contracted to provide the electronic institutional review board (IRB) system for the entire HSSC collaborative. This project is nearly complete.

> Collexis was contracted to provide expert profiling and social networking tools for scientists.

The rapid implemention of SCIPR is crucial because it will allow HSSC to streamline andaccelerate research projects, facilitate data collection and analysis, and successfully competefor funding from the National Institutes of Health and other federal sources that SouthCarolina desperately needs. In addition, it will help HSSC attract commercial clinical trials from the pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic industries.

HSSC IS PARTNERING WITH WORLD-CLASSINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

to fast-track the construction of SCIPR

MAJOR INITIATIVE ONE

IT INFRASTRUCTUREIS A MAGNET FORMONEY

The federal government considers

healthcare information technology

(IT) as the critical tool that will

drive quality, boost efficiency and

reduce costs. In 2009, billions of

dollars were made available to

states through the American

Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Because of the work done to date

on the statewide information

technology infrastructure, HSSC’s

Center for Healthcare Quality

applied for and won a $4.8 million

Grand Opportunity Grant. (See page

18 for details.) HSSC is also well

positioned for other funds available

for e-Health initiatives through the

U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services.


The HSSC initiative to unify and automate institutionalreview board (IRB) processes with a powerful,Internet-based solution called e-IRB has achieved asignificant milestone. Four HSSC partners—GreenvilleHospital System University Medical Center (GHS),Palmetto Health, Spartanburg Regional HealthcareSystem and USC—are now live on eIRB with MUSCsoon to follow. More than 1,000 researchers and staff are using the statewide system.

Institutional Reviews Boards must review andapprove any research study involving humanparticipants. Traditionally, reviewers rely on paper-based processes, which are slow and

cumbersome. HSSC’s e-IRB system accelerates the review process and also makes research projectsbetween member organizations easier to conductand manage, while making them safe for patients.The system also makes South Carolina moreattractive when competing for millions ingovernment-sponsored research funding as well as commercial clinical trials.

MUSC will begin using the HSSC eIRB in 2010.Clemson University researchers are involved through GHS clinical trials.

FOUR HSSC PARTNERS ON-LINE WITH e-IRB

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY HOSTS HSSC’S DATA CENTER.

In 2009 Health Sciences South Carolina celebrated a major milestone:its fifth anniversary. Although there was no cake with candles, theorganization and its partners responded with a host of accomplishmentsthat validated the vision of using collaborative research to advance thestate’s economy and the health of its citizens.


2009YEAR IN REVIEW

NIH Awards $4.8 Million Grantto the Center for HealthcareQuality. Patients who want toparticipate in clinical research trials inSouth Carolina will find it easier to doso, thanks to a $4.8 million federalgrant to the HSSC-supported Centerfor Healthcare Quality, a University ofSouth Carolina-based Center ofEconomic Excellence (CoEE).

The National Institutes of Health(NIH) Grand Opportunity (GO) Grantwill accelerate the development of astatewide internet-based ResearchPermission Management System that will enable patients to find andvolunteer for clinical research trials

in the state, receive notifications offuture research trials related to theircondition and protect their personalhealth information. The system alsohelps researchers manage legal,ethical, social, and bioinformaticsrequirements.

HSSC President and CEO, JayMoskowitz, PhD, is the grant’sprincipal investigator. HSSC ChiefMedical Information Officer, IainSanderson, MSc, FRCA, is the co-investigator. Both hold endowedchairs within the Center forHealthcare Quality. A team ofresearchers from ClemsonUniversity, MUSC and the University

of South Carolina (USC), along with consultants from RecombinantData Corporation, ScienceApplications InternationalCorporation (SAIC) and DukeUniversity, collaborated on the GO Grant application.

USC President Harris Pastides calledthe GO Grant award a major victoryfor South Carolina. “The SouthCarolina General Assembly createdthe CoEE Program in 2002 with thevision of transforming our state’seconomy by investing in researchthat can be commercialized. The NIH GO Grant is a tremendousendorsement of this vision.”


Added Dr. Moskowitz, “The CoEEProgram, The Duke Endowment, andHSSC are critical catalysts for changein South Carolina. That the NIHrecognizes this and has invested $4.8million in our state’s health ITinfrastructure is a powerful validationof our vision of transforming SouthCarolina’s economy and publichealth through research.”

$20 million ClinicalTranslational Science AwardOpens Door to GreaterCollaboration between MUSC,Clemson, USC, and HSSC. InJuly, the National Institutes of Health(NIH) selected MUSC for a ClinicalTranslational Science Award (CTSA),an award that comes with $20million for translational researchover the next five years.The CTSA grant is among the mostprestigious awards made to medicaluniversities. The NIH has just sixtyCTSA grants to award before 2012.In the Southeast, there are only sixCTSA grant holders: the University

of Alabama-Birmingham, theUniversity of North Carolina, DukeUniversity, Emory University,Vanderbilt University, and MUSC. Atthe press conference announcingthe award, MUSC President RayGreenberg congratulated the MUSCteam of more than two hundredfaculty and staff members led byKathleen Brady, MD, PhD, and PerryHalushka, MD, PhD, the CTSA co-principal investigators. He creditedpartners USC, Clemson, HSSC,Claflin University, GreenwoodGenetics Center, and SCRA for theirhelp in securing the award. He also recognized the South CarolinaGeneral Assembly and the Centersof Economic Excellence Program.

The CTSA grant opens the door to greater collaboration betweenMUSC and its in-state partners,including HSSC. It also enablesSouth Carolina researchers to play a larger, national role inimproving the lives of patientsacross a spectrum of diseases.The $20 million CTSA grant is an

economic win for the state as well.In addition to jobs created directlyby the CTSA, research and clinicalsuccess from CTSA will result inmore biotechnology transfer andspin-off companies and contributeto South Carolina’s knowledge-based economy.

REACH Stroke Networkcompletes 200th consultation.

South Carolina leads the nation in stroke-related deaths, but thatgrim ranking may soon change.Under the direction of MUSC’sRobert J. Adams, MS, MD, the REACH Stroke Network continues to add hospitals taking advantage of on-demand access to the strokeexperts at MUSC, who recentlycompleted their 200th consultation.

The REACH Stroke Network is aninitiative of the HSSC-supportedStroke Center of EconomicExcellence that links small and rural hospitals to MUSC strokeexperts via telemedicine. Havingaccess to expert care at the time a stroke occurs can dramaticallyincrease survival and reducepermanent disability. In short, theREACH Stroke Network is a lifesaverfor patients in small and ruralcommunities, particularly African-Americans who have a higher rateof stroke.

The MUSC REACH Stroke Networkhas nine participating partners:Coastal Carolina Medical Center,Georgetown Memorial Hospital,Grand Strand Regional MedicalCenter, Marion County MedicalCenter, McLeod Health, PiedmontMedical Center, Self RegionalHealthcare, Waccamaw CommunityHospital, and Williamsburg RegionalHospital. Discussions are underwaywith others.

Kathleen Brady, MD, PhD, (right) is co-principal investigator of the CTSA along with Perry Halushka, MD, PhD.


HSSC Launches New Website.HSSC has a new face on theInternet. In late December, adramatically updated, content-richwebsite (www.healthsciencessc.org)was launched. It features personalvideo messages from all HSSCleaders, updated profiles on thetwelve HSSC-supported Centers ofEconomic Excellence, andconstantly changing information onevents, initiatives and news. Thewebsite was created by a teamcomposed of the HSSC PublicRelations Committee, MUSCBioinformatics Services, LuxStrategic Communications, andClemson University (hosting).

HSSC Sponsors SecondAnnual Patient SafetySymposium. In March, HSSCjoined the South Carolina HospitalAssociation (SCHA), PHT Services,and Mothers Against Medical Error inhosting the Second Annual PatientSafety Symposium in Columbia. Morethan 200 healthcare professionalsand advocates gathered to share andpromote best practices in patientsafety and healthcare quality. HSSCChair and Spartanburg RegionalHealthcare System CEO andPresident Ingo Angermeier served as master of ceremonies.

The Symposium included theannouncement of the 2009 LewisBlackman Patient Safety Champion

Award winners. Donna Isgett, RN,MSN, McLeod Health, HealthcareExecutive Award; David Marsh, MD,a neonatologist at Palmetto HealthRichland, Caregiver Award; DianeParker, Advocacy Award.

HSSC Supports NationalCampaign to Keep NIH FundsFlowing, Helps Secure a $690Million Increase. Last April,ResearchMeansHope.org, a nationalcoalition of universities, patientgroups, hospitals, and researchorganizations—including HSSC—launched a campaign to increaseawareness of and funding for theNational Institutes of Health (NIH),the nation’s primary sponsor ofmedical research.

Every Patient Counts Symposium Lewis Blackman Patient Safety Awards. L to R: Sponsors Jay Moskowitz, PhD, HSSC; Richard Foster,MD, SCHA; Helen Haskell, Mothers Against Medical Error; and award winners Dianne Parker, and Donna Isgett, McLeod Health.


HSSC’s support was vital. Each year,researchers at Clemson University,the Medical University of SouthCarolina (MUSC), and the University of South Carolina compete for andwin millions of dollars in NIH funding.In 2009, the three universities had$XXX million in NIH funding. It is the lifeblood of South Carolina’suniversity-based research enterprise and a critical contributor to the state’s economy. TheResearchMeansHope.org campaigncultivated specific Congressionalchampions. Representative JamesClyburn’s congressional district inSouth Carolina was one of only twonationally selected for the campaign’sinitial efforts. From April-mid October,the campaign generated over thirty-five hundred letters to more thanthree hundred members of Congress.On December 16, 2009, PresidentBarack Obama signed legislationproviding $31 billion for the NIH for2010, an increase of $691.8 millionover the previous year.

USC School of Nursing OpensSimulation Lab, StatewideNetwork Has Six Sites. TheUniversity of South Carolina (USC)School of Nursing opened its patientsimulation lab in early 2009, joiningthe HSSC-supported statewidenetwork of patient simulationcenters that help train thehealthcare workforce. The realistichealthcare facility, complete withseven simulation mannequins,opened in early 2009. There are nowsix simulation labs across the stateaffiliated with the Center for PatientSafety and Clinical Effectiveness:MUSC (headquarters), ClemsonUniversity College of Nursing,Greenville Hospital SystemUniversity Medical Center, PalmettoHealth/USC School of Medicine,the USC School of Nursing, andGreenville Technical College.

The USC School of Nursingsimulation lab is equipped with tentraining rooms, a large classroom,two offices, and staff to lead the

simulation courses. The lab trains up to two-hundred-fifty nursingstudents each week.

Simulation Expert Creates Real Economic DevelopmentOpportunities for SouthCarolina. John J. Schaefer, III, MD,an endowed schair in the HSSC-supported Center for ClinicalEffectiveness and Patient Safety,continues to be a lightning rod foreconomic development. Dr. Schaeferis the lead national consultant for a

key component of the simulationtechnology infrastructure softwareSimCapture®, which is a simulationlearning management and datacapture system under developmentby B-Line Medical, LLC, incollaboration with the Center forClinical Effectiveness and PatientSafety Center and the GreenvilleHospital System simulation center.The resulting system will be anaffordable, portable, easy-to-usesolution for capturing data fromsimulations to improve educationand research. Dr. Schaefer has alsobeen asked by Laerdal Medical to bethe pre-beta testing site for newproducts, including new operatingsystems for SimMan® SimMan 3G®

and SimNewby® simulators. He andhis staff are working with ElsevierePublishing to develop programmedclinical scenarios for license throughSim Tunes, LLC.

HSSC Awards Grant to USC,Lakelands Rural HealthNetwork. Rural health providersface unique challenges, includingthe management of chronicdiseases like diabetes, asthma andhypertension. As part of its RuralHealthcare Quality Initiative, HSSC is researching ways to ease thosechallenges and improve health forSouth Carolina’s rural populations.HSSC has awarded a grant to KevinBennett, MD, of the USC School ofMedicine, and the Lakelands Rural

Health Network to look at howselect chronic conditions aremanaged. Using a healthinformation exchange of patientrecords, this grant will helpresearchers determine whetherparticipation in a health informationexchange improves qualityindicators and clinician perceptionsof electronic record sharing. TheLakelands Rural Health Network,an integrated network of hospitals,physician practices, and otherproviders in Abbeville, Laurens,Greenwood, McCormick, Edgefield,and Saluda counties, will serve as aliving lab for Dr. Bennett’s research,which is funded by The DukeEndowment. The findings of theHSSC-supported research couldimpact how other communitiesacross South Carolina use healthinformation exchanges in the future.

The USC School of Nursing opened its patient simulation lab in early 2009


MARTIN MORAD, PhD l BlueCross BlueShield of SC Chair in Cardiovascular Health l Director, Cardiac Signaling Center

In March 2008, members of the South Carolina General Assembly gathered at the Statehouse for a majorannouncement by Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC). The news? Internationally acclaimed researcher,Martin Morad, PhD, was leaving Georgetown University to come to the Palmetto State to work on the world’sfirst tissue-derived human heart pacemaker as an endowed chair in the HSSC-supported Center of EconomicExcellence (CoEE) in Regenerative Medicine. It was a defining moment for HSSC and the CoEE Program.


Q. Your research in heart disease is internationally acclaimed. What inspired you to leave Georgetown University and come to South Carolina?

A. I had a beautiful life in Washington, DC, and a great job at Georgetown University, but I recognized the unique opportunity of Health Sciences South Carolina, where I would have faculty appointments at Clemson, MUSC and the University of South Carolina and draw on their collective talents to advance my program in regenerative cardiology. I thought, “If I am going to make a major breakthrough, it’s now or never.” So I gladly accepted the offer to come.

Q. The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation invested $5 million in your endowed chair within the Regenerative Medicine CoEE. Why is this important?

A. First, I was honored and grateful for their generosity. The BlueCross Foundation’s investment shows they believe that research in the field of regenerative medicine like that done in my lab is the road to new treatments for cardiovascular diseases that devastate the lives of so many South Carolinians.

Q. One of the goals of your research is to develop biological pacemakers. What is the advantage for patients?

A. Electronic heart pacemakers have saved many lives, but they are expensive, last about five years, and are not a cure. If we can use a person’s own tissue to create,through genetic engineering, a biological pacemaker,we have the potential to cure their heart disease. A lot of research must be done to make such personalized medicine possible.

Q. How has your first year in South Carolina gone?

A. Exciting things are happening. I’ve established my lab and begun assembling a powerful team of scientists.Our new bioengineering building will be completed in late 2010, giving researchers from Clemson, MUSC,and USC space to collaborate. The National Science Foundation awarded South Carolina a $20 million grant to establish a statewide Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Center, an effort led by my colleague, Dr. Roger

Markwald, that will accelerate our research. We signed a memorandum of understanding with Professor Jurgen Hescheler, an internationally recognized scientist from Germany, to establish a human IPSC (induced pluripotent stem cells) center here. Professor Hescheler has succeeded in taking human skin fibroblasts and turning them into heart cells. Importing human IPSC technology to South Carolina will accelerate our work in developing biological heart pacemakers, and change the paradigm of therapy for a host of human pathologies.

Q. What is your plan for advancing your goals in the next few years?

A. To be competitive nationally, we must hire a team of creative scientists; provide them facilities, space and funding. This year I have recruited two promising scientists, obtained NIH funding, and now seek further funding from state, federal and private agencies.In developing a South Carolina stem cell center with the help of my colleagues, it would be desirable to partner with our state, so that our citizens can benefit not only from our scientific breakthroughs, but also from its commercial success. I envision a $50 to $100 million center with hundreds of scientists and medical professionals developing new technologies aimed at tissue regeneration and therapy, putting South Carolina at the forefront of medical research in the nation.

Q. You were recruited to South Carolina for an HSSC-supported Center of Economic Excellence (CoEE). Has it lived up to your expectations?

A. Absolutely! The CoEE Program is the most innovative thing the state has done. The excellence and variation of talent in the endowed chairs is inspiring and humbling. Over the long run, I believe, South Carolina will see major economic benefits from the CoEE Program.

Q. How are things going for you in your first year in Charleston?

A. I enjoy living in this gracious city. My colleagues have been welcoming and helpful. People are friendly and gracious, and the nature very beautiful.

A CONVERSATION WITH

MARTIN MORAD, PhDUNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, MUSC, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY


MAJOR INITIATIVE TWO

HSSC PARTNERS WITH

SOUTH CAROLINA’S HOSPITALSTO ELIMINATE INFECTIONSthat threaten the health of patients and add unnecessary cost to our healthcare system. The South Carolina HealthcareQuality Trust is a voluntary partnership between HSSC, theSouth Carolina Hospital Association, and Premier Inc., which isemploying research to identify the causes of and solutions topreventable, hospital acquired infections. The results are beingshared with all sixty-five acute care hospitals in the state.

Each year, the Centers for Disease Controlestimates there are 1.7 million infections and99,000 associated deaths in America’shospitals, a situation that costs the nation’shealthcare system $6.2 billion each year. It is money our cash-strapped nation and ourstate could put to far better use.

In February, Health Sciences South Carolina(HSSC) and its partners, the South CarolinaHospital Association (SCHA) and Premier Inc.,announced the formation of the SouthCarolina Healthcare Quality Trust, a voluntary,statewide hospital and research universityperformance partnership led by HSSC. Thegroup also announced their first project: aresearch-based initiative to eliminatepreventable healthcare-associated infectionsfrom the state’s hospitals.

The HSSC-led effort to wipe out preventableinfections in South Carolina’s hospitals isunique in the nation as it involves thecollaborative research efforts of the state’slargest universities, Clemson University, MUSCand the University of South Carolina; and itslargest health systems, Greenville HospitalSystem University Medical Center, MUSCHealth, Palmetto Health, and SpartanburgRegional Healthcare System. Research resultswill be shared with all 65 acute care hospitalsin South Carolina, ultimately makinghealthcare safer for all South Carolinians.

HSSC and its partners are investing more than$1.7 million over three years in the effort. Thereturn on investment has the potential to besignificant. Based on Premier data, eliminatingpreventable healthcare-associated infectioncould save the state’s hospitals as much as$40 million a year and reduce the length ofstay of South Carolina patients by up to24,000 days.*

“We all know someone whose life has beenaltered, sometimes permanently, by apreventable infection,” said HSSC Presidentand CEO Jay Moskowitz. “Through the SouthCarolina Healthcare Quality Trust, we will useuniversity researchers to determine thecauses of specific infections. We will testsolutions in our state’s four largest healthsystems. We will then share the bestpractices, products, and services that resultwith all South Carolina hospitals. Thisapproach has the potential to make ourstate’s hospitals safer for patients, familiesand employees; avoid millions in costs; andmake our state a national model forhealthcare quality.”

Among the Trust’s first tasks was the creationof a special information-sharing portal thatallows all South Carolina hospitals to researchthe causes of healthcare-associatedinfections, and to identify and promoteexisting and new processes for prevention.Hospitals began using the portal in March ‘09.

* Premier’s data was collected from sixteen South Carolina hospitals representing forty-two percent of the state’s annual hospital discharges.


AN ISSUE THAT TOUCHES ALL OF US

Everyone knows someone—a family member, friend or colleague—

whose life has been altered by a healthcare-associated infection. For

this reason, Health Sciences South Carolina’s announcement in

February 2009 that it was leading an effort to eliminate preventable

infections in South Carolina’s hospitals struck a chord with the crowd

gathered at a press conference in Columbia.

In addition to representatives from HSSC partner organizations Clemson,

University, the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, MUSC, Palmetto Health, Spartanburg Regional

Healthcare System, and the University of South Carolina; the South Carolina Hospital Association and Premier, Inc.,

the attendees included guests from The Duke Endowment, Mothers Against Medical Error, three state senators

(despite the Senate being out of session), seventeen state representatives, and South Carolina Attorney General

Henry McMaster. The message that this research-driven quality improvement initiative would save lives and dollars

at all sixty-five of the state’s acute care hospitals touched everyone in the room.

Partners in the South Carolina Healthcare Quality Trust.

From left to right: Ingo Angermeier, FACHE, Spartanburg Regional; Jay Moskowitz, PhD, Health Sciences South Carolina;Thornton Kirby, South Carolina Hospital Association; Susan Devore, Premier Inc.; Shawn Stinson, MD, Palmetto Health;Ray Greenberg, MD, PhD, Medical University of South Carolina


KEVIN TAAFFE, PhD l Clemson College of Engineering l LAWRENCE FREDENDALL, PhD l Clemson College of Business & Behavioral Science

Hospitals are battling the dueling challenges of reducing costs while maintaining safe, high qualitypatient care. The solution may lie in clinical reengineering, a growing field that develops more efficientprocesses for delivering healthcare. In June, HSSC awarded a two-year grant to Clemson Universityresearchers, Kevin Taaffe, PhD, and Lawrence Fredendall, PhD, specialists in industrial engineering andlean production processes respectively, to study ways to re-engineer hospital operating rooms.


Q. How is it that an industrial engineer and a business management expert are researching ways to improve hospital operating rooms?

A. Hospitals encounter the same issues that cause problems in other complex environments such as manufacturing: lack of process control, lack of standardization of tasks and limited feedback about task performance. In manufacturing, these problems create high costs and low quality. In hospitals these problems put lives at stake.

The complexities of patient care have made it difficult to consistently achieve process improvements. When we saw Health Sciences South Carolina’s (HSSC) call for proposals on a clinical re-engineering research initiative to improve efficiency, quality and safety, we saw it as an opportunity to make a difference. Through our research proposal, From Simulation to Operation: Engineering Management Interventions for Perioperative Services,we bring fresh eyes and expertise proven in business and industry to this emerging field of study.

Q. Who is involved?

A. This is truly a statewide, multi-institution, multi-disciplinary study. It includes the Colleges of Engineering and Business and Behavioral Sciences from Clemson University, Civil Engineering from the University of South Carolina (Nathan Huynh, PhD), and the MUSC College of Nursing (John Welton, PhD, RN). We’re also fortunate to have the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS) and Palmetto Health, both HSSC partners,involved as “living labs” where we can develop and test theories.

Q. How will re-engineering benefit hospitals and patients?

A. This project focuses on improving the efficiency, safety,and cost of hospital operating rooms. Previous research has shown that longer surgery times expose patients to greater risks of complications, including infections.Improved efficiency is one way to improve quality and safety. We are focusing on three things: how to reduce

the overall patient time at the hospital and thereby improve safety, how to reduce interruptions that occur while hospital staff is working with a patient, and how to create a framework that directs hospitals to the most beneficial process improvements.

Q. You are using some novel tools. What are they?

A. We are using three engineering management tools to analyze the complex operating room environment:process flow maps, computer simulation and RFID technology. A process flow map provides a visual picture of each activity that is performed as clinical technicians prepare equipment, supplies, and the patient for surgery. Computer simulation allows managers to see the actual physical flows on the computer screen and to observe problems as they occur. The third tool we are testing is how to use RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) to capture patient flow information and improve the ability of hospital staff to eliminate delays while providing patient care.

Q. How will having HSSC partner universities and health systems working together on this research speed results?

A. The intellectual talent of three universities is fantastic,but it’s the cooperation of GHS and Palmetto Health that makes the study possible. Hospital staff will be providing feedback on the engineering management tools we are developing and testing; that’s invaluable.

Q. How will the findings benefit hospitals and their ability to provide safe, efficient patient care?

A. Not only does our analytical approach to healthcare improvement provide immediate benefits to the specific hospitals where the testing is being done, but we are focused on developing a Healthcare Improvement Framework that can embed the tools within this study and be adopted at other hospitals. Our ultimate goal is to have a structure for carrying out healthcare improvements similar to Six Sigma that relies on outcomes from this research.

A CONVERSATION WITHKEVIN TAAFFE, PhD

LAWRENCE FREDENDALL, PhDCLEMSON UNIVERSITY


MAJOR INITIATIVE THREE

HSSC HOSTS STATEWIDE

E-HEALTH SUMMIT SERIESWith billions of stimulus dollars in play through the 2009American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), states arelining up for a share. However, it is not a simple handout. Toqualify, states must prove the funding will be used totransform healthcare, with emphasis on improving healthcarequality, patent safety, clinical effectiveness, and reducingcosts. Having the necessary health information technologysystem in place is crucial to receiving federal funds.

To ensure South Carolina is positioned tosecure and then effectively utilize ARRA funds,Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) and theSouth Carolina Department of Health andHuman Services (SC DHHS) initiated a series ofe-Health Summits beginning in May 2009. Theintent was to bring all public and privatestakeholders together to develop a strategyfor creating, funding, governing, and ultimatelysustaining a statewide health informationtechnology system that will support clinicalcare and research. The complexity of theissues, the huge scope of creating a statewidesystem, and the aggressive timelines set bythe federal government for grant applicationsand implementation necessitated a highlycoordinated, collaborative approach fromSouth Carolina’s healthcare community.

HSSC worked hand-in-glove with SC DHHS insecuring speakers and venues to maximizethe value of the events to attendees. The e-Health Summits were provided free of chargeto attendees, with the exception of a lunch

fee, to ensure broad attendance. Everyonewas encouraged to participate openly in theSummits and in the development of thestrategic plan that will deliver the greatestreturn for South Carolina's citizens, healthcareproviders and researchers.

HSSC has a strong interest in the success ofthe e-Health Summits in facilitating thedevelopment of a single strategic plan forSouth Carolina. A statewide health informationtechnology (IT) system will support medicalresearch and clinical trials, dovetailing with theresearch-focused IT infrastructure currentlyunder construction (see page 14). It will makeHSSC and its partners far more competitivewhen pursuing federal funds, non-profit grantsand private investment. It supports HSSC’svarious healthcare quality and patient safetyinitiatives. Finally, a robust health informationtechnology system, will help all of SouthCarolina’s healthcare providers deliver safer,better, more affordable healthcare.

The e-Health Summit series will continue in 2010.Visit www.HealthSciencesSC.org for details.


The seven meetings of the e-Health Summit Series attracted more than 1050 attendees.

From left to right: Jay Moskowitz, PhD, HSSC; Thomas Leary,HiMSS; Emma Forkner, SC Department of Health and Human Services.

From left to right: David Patterson, SC Office of Research andStatistics; Melanie Matney, South Carolina Hospital Association;Karen Papachaudo, Connecting Communities of Care.

A M O D E L F O R C O L L A B O R A T I O N

It was the party that invited everyone and that no one wanted to miss.The Health Sciences South Carolina-sponsored e-Health Summit series proved to be a huge success in bringing a diverse group of stakeholdersto the table to listen, learn, and provide input on the strategic plan for a statewide health informationtechnology system. The seven e-Health Summits averaged one-hundred-fifty attendees per session, for atotal attendance of more than one-thousand-fifty people. True to the goal of including everyone in theprocess, the e-Health Summits attracted government agencies, hospitals, non-profit organizations, andbusinesses from across the state—a true model of collaboration. Participants included:

> BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina> Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence> Greenwood Genetic Center> IBM> Labcorp> Sandhills Medical Foundation > SC Area Health Education Consortium (AHEC)> SC Department of Health and Environmental

Control

> SC Department of Mental Health> SC Office of Research and Statistics> SC Hospital Association> SC Office of Rural Health> SC Pharmacy Association> SC Technical College System> Sun Microsystems


PEOPLE POWER PROGRESS

The statewide collaborative that is Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) gained momentum in 2009, requiringadditional staff and greater engagement of its nearly fifteen boards and committees. To date, HSSC has created morethan twenty jobs at its headquarters in Columbia and another seven in Charleston. Many of these new positions areactively involved in building HSSC’s statewide health information technology infrastructure, which in turn will fuel andsupport further job creation. People truly power progress.

Emily O’Connor Clark, MHA, joined HSSC as a program managerand grant writer. She is responsible for managing projects and preparingdocumentation to support project initiatives and grant applications.

Katrina M. Fryar, MBA, PMP, joined HSSC as a program manager and is responsible for analyzing the organization’s use of finances and resources.

Derek Mart joined HSSC as a technical support engineer. With morethan thirteen years experience working with computer softwarenetworks and programs, Mart helps maintain the electronic institutionalreview board (eIRB) system, a component of HSSC’s statewide researchenterprise. His responsibilities include providing eIRB technical support,training, and troubleshooting to member organizations.

Randy Shelley, Jr. joined HSSC as director of Information Technology(IT) Operations. He is overseeing the implementation and support of allHSSC IT assets and services. Shelley is a key player in the strategicplanning process for the IT organization, acting as a lead advisor toHSSC’s chief medical information officer, Iain Sanderson, MSc, FRCA.

J. Todd Thornburg, PhD, joined HSSC as a senior program managerresponsible for directing and managing complex projects and federal,state and private grant initiatives. Prior to HSSC, Thornburg was theexecutive director of the Financial and Administrative Unit at theTranslational Science Institute, Wake Forest University Baptist MedicalCenter, Winston-Salem, NC.

Cynthia Williams, MBA, joined HSSC as a project manager afterworking with General Motors in Michigan for more than ten years,where she most recently served as the director of Global TechnologyManagement. At HSSC, Williams leads activities for the eIRB program,which involves planning, designing, deploying, and maintaining customsolutions for IRB teams at HSSC partner organizations.

HSSC INITIATIVES RAMP UP WITHSTAFF ADDITIONS, ENGAGED COMMITTEES


PEOPLE POWER PROGRESSSTATEWIDE COMMITTEES

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ingo Angermeier, FACHE, ChairPresident and CEOSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

James Barker, FAIA, Vice ChairPresidentClemson University

Charles Beaman, Jr.President and CEOPalmetto Health

Ray Greenberg, MD, PhD PresidentMedical University of South Carolina

Harris Pastides, PhD, MPH PresidentUniversity of South Carolina

Michael Riordan President and CEOGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

POLICY STEERING COMMITTEE

Jerry Youkey, MD, ChairVice President of Medical & Academic

ServicesGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

James Bearden, III, MD, FACPVice President for Clinical ResearchSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Donald DiPette, MD(non-voting member)Vice President for Medical AffairsUniversity of South Carolina

Richard Hoppmann, MDDean of the School of MedicineUniversity of South Carolina

Russell Pate, PhD Vice President for Health SciencesUniversity of South Carolina

Chris Przirembel, PhDVice President for Research &

Economic DevelopmentClemson University

James (Jim) Raymond, MDSenior Vice President for Quality,

Medical Education & ResearchPalmetto Health

John Raymond, MD, Vice ChairProvost & Vice President for Academic

Affairs Medical University of South Carolina

Jerry Reves, MD(non-voting member)Vice President for Medical AffairsDean of College of MedicineMedical University of South Carolina

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERCOMMITTEE

Lisa Montgomery, MHA, ChairVice President for Finance & AdministrationMedical University of South Carolina

Mark AycockChief Finance OfficerSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Susan BichelChief Finance OfficerGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Brett DaltonChief Finance OfficerClemson University

Paul DuaneExecutive Vice PresidentChief Finance OfficerPalmetto Health

Sloan GrayInterim Chief Finance OfficerSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Lynda KeislerSpecial Assistant to Chief Finance OfficerPalmetto Health

Rick KelleyVice President Chief Finance OfficerUniversity of South Carolina

Ed Walton, CPAChief Finance OfficerHealth Sciences South Carolina

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICERCOMMITTEE

Frank Clark, Sr., PhD, ChairVice President for Information TechnologyChief Information OfficerMedical University of South Carolina

James BottumVice Provost for Computing

& Information Technology Chief Information OfficerClemson University

Doran DunawayVice President Information Services Chief Information OfficerGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Michelle Edwards Interim Chief Information OfficerPalmetto Health

William F. Hogue, PhDVice President for Information TechnologyChief Information OfficerUniversity of South Carolina

Iain Sanderson, MD, MSc, FRCAChief Medical Information OfficerHealth Sciences South Carolina

Ray ShinglerVice President Chief Information OfficerSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Deborah WhittenExecutive Director of Computing

and Information TechnologyClemson University

CLINICAL TRIALS COMMITTEE

Melanie B. Thomas, MD, MS, ChairAssociate Director of Clinical InvestigatingMUSC Health

Helmut Albrecht, MDDirector, Division of Infectious DiseaseUniversity of South Carolina School

of Medicine

Tracy S. ArwoodDirector of Office of Research ComplianceClemson University



James Bearden, III, MD, FACPVice President for Clinical ResearchSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Robert Califf, MDAssociate Vice Chancellor for Clinical

ResearchDirector of the Duke Clinical Research

InstituteDuke University Medical Center

Durham, NC

Marc Chimowitz, MDAssociate Dean & Professor Medical University of South Carolina

Janet Craig, MSN, MBA, DHAAssistant ProfessorClemson University

Brent M. Egan, MDDirector, Hypertension InstituteMedical University of South Carolina

Julie Eggert, PhD, RNAssociate ProfessorClemson University

James Hayes, MDMedical Director of the Office of Research

Compliance & AdministrationGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Meera Narasimhan, MDProfessor of Clinical Neuropsychiatry University of South Carolina School

of Medicine

Yuko Y. Palesch, PhDProfessorMedical University of South Carolina

Iain Sanderson, MD, FCRA Chief Medical Information OfficerHealth Sciences South Carolina

CLINICAL TRIALS MANAGEMENTCOMMITTEE

Leesa Judd, RN, ChairClinical Systems AnalystSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Jodi Calkins, PhDPalmetto Health

Christy FlemingSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Jim FreemanGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Tammy Manchester, RN, BSN, CCRCGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Terri MatsonMedical University of South Carolina

Adrian NidaMedical University of South Carolina

Linda SherriffPalmetto Health

Stan SmithPalmetto Health

Mark Spasser, PhDPalmetto Health

Christine SpicerPalmetto Health

Barbara Strickland, RN, CCRPGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Brian O’Rourke, ChairDirector of Development & Alumni AffairsClemson University

Sheila BreitweiserVice President & Executive Director

for SRHS FoundationSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Michelle DodenhoffInterim Vice President for University

AdvancementUniversity of South Carolina

Jim FisherVice President for DevelopmentMedical University of South Carolina

Susan E. LeeExecutive Director of DevelopmentUniversity of South Carolina

George MaynardVice President of Philanthropy

& PartnershipsGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Sam TenebaumPresidentPalmetto Health Foundation

Susan WardSenior Development Officer for

SRHS FoundationSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTADVISORY COMMITEE

Joseph W. Kolis, ChairExecutive Director of ResearchClemson University

Chad HardawayDirector, Intellectual PropertyUniversity of South Carolina

Chip HoodExecutive DirectorMedical University of South Carolina

Malcolm W. IsleyVice President of Strategic ServicesGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Candace D. KnoxDirector of Planning and System

DevelopmentPalmetto Health

Chad LawsonPublic Relations ManagerSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Michael S. Randall, PhD, MBAChief Economic Development OfficerHealth Sciences South Carolina

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Howell Clyborne, ChairVice President of Strategic Initiatives

& Governmental AffairsGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center



Kathy ColemanDirector of University State RelationsClemson University

Bo Faulkner Legislative LiaisonMedical University of South Carolina

Casey MartinAssociate Director of Governmental

Affairs Legislative LiaisonUniversity of South Carolina

Shirley MillsDirector of Govenmental & Community

RelationsUniversity of South Carolina

Judy Cotchett SmithDirector of Corporate CommunicationsPalmetto Health

Mark SweatmanLegislative LiaisonMedical University of South Carolina

Shirley MillsDirector of Governmental & Community

RelationsUniversity of South Carolina

HEALTHCARE ACQUIREDINFECTION COMMITTEE

Shawn Stinson, MD, ChairVice President for Quality and Patient

SafetyPalmetto Health

Helmut Albrecht, MDDirector, Division of Infectious DiseasesUniversity of South Carolina

Brandon Bookstaver, PharmD, BCPSClinical Assistant Professor University of South Carolina

Ruby Bowan, MSPH, MT, CICInfection Control ManagerPalmetto Health Baptist

Richard L. BrandonRegion Director of InformaticsPremier, Inc.

Kathy Bryant, RN, CICManager of Infection PreventionSpartanburg Regional Medical Center

Anna L. CassQuality Management DepartmentGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Janet Craig, MSN, MBA, DHAAssociate ProfessorClemson University

Sangita Dash, MDAssistant Professor of Infectious DiseaseUniversity of South Carolina School

of Medicine

Alan DechoProfessorUniversity of South Carolina

Brian DeslogePremier, Inc.

Michael DicksonProfessor of PharmacyUniversity of South Carolina

Carmen Faulkner, PharmDID-Clinical PharmacistGreenville Hospital System

Pamela J. FogleInfection Control PractitionerMedical University of South Carolina

Linda FormbyManager of Infection Prevention and

ControlMedical University of South Carolina

Rick Foster, MDSenior Vice President of Quality and

Patient SafetySouth Carolina Hospital Association

Lorri GibbonsVP of Quality Improvement & SafetySouth Carolina Hospital Association

Sue P. HeineyResearch ProfessorUniversity of South Carolina

Bill KellyHospital EpidemiologistGreenville Hospital System

Aunyika T. Moonan, PhD, MSPH, CPHQDirector of Quality MeasurementSouth Carolina Hospital Association

Sean NormanAssistant ProfessorUniversity of South Carolina

Cyndy O’BryanRegion Vice President Client ManagementPremier, Inc.

Stanley Owstrawski, RN, MS, MTNurse Administrator, Division of Acute

DiseaseSCDHEC

Mary Prather, RN, CICClinical Research MonitorPalmetto Health

George Reid, PharmDDirector of Pharmacy Services and

Special ProjectsSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Beth RhotonInfection Prevention and ControlMedical University of South Carolina

Cassandra Salgado, MD, MSDirector of Infection ControlMedical University of South Carolina

Caroline SeiglerVice President of CNOPalmetto Health Baptist

Dana Stafkey-Mailey, PharmD, PhDAssistant ProfessorSouth Carolina College of Pharmacy

Connie Steed, MSN, RN, CICDirector of Infection Prevention

and ControlGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Steve StemkowskiPremier, Inc.

Ellen SynovecAssociate DirectorUniversity of South Carolina

Shanetta WilliamsInfection Control ManagerPalmetto Health Richland



eIRB

Cynthia Williams, ChaireIRB Project ManagerHealth Sciences South Carolina

Lindsay CathcartIRB CoordinatorUniversity of South Carolina

Tommy CogginsDirector for the Office of Research

ComplianceUniversity of South Carolina

Stacey Goretzka, CIPGrants AdministratorMedical University of South Carolina

Mary-Ellen JohnsonIRB Administrator/CoordinatorSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Derek MartTech Support EngineerHealth Sciences South Carolina

Jeff Parks, CIPIRB Program ManagerPalmetto Health

Mark Spasser, PhDDirector of Research ServicesPalmetto Health

Lynn VeatchAssistant ProfessorMedical University of South Carolina

Jean WinterIRC CoordinatorGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDMANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Tommy Coggins, ChairDirector for the Office of Research

ComplianceUniversity of South Carolina

Tracy Arwood, MSDirector of Research ComplianceClemson University

Jodi Calkins, PhDDirector of Research AdministrationPalmetto Health

Jim FreemanAdministrator for Academic ServicesGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Jeff Parks, CIPIRB Program ManagerPalmetto Health

LEGAL COMMITTEE

Howard West, Esq., ChairGeneral CounselPalmetto Health

Joe Blake, Esq.Vice President Legal Affairs & General

CounselGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Joe Good, Esq.General CounselMedical University of South Carolina

Judy Hamer, Esq.General CounselSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Terry Parham, Esq.General CounselUniversity of South Carolina

Clayton Steadman, Esq.General CounselClemson University

NURSING COMMITTEE

Gail Stuart, PhD, APRN, BC, FAAN,ChairDean of the College of NursingMedical University of South Carolina

Elaine Amella, PhD, APRN, BC, FAANAssociate Dean for Research, College

of NursingMedical University of South Carolina

Sue Bethel, MS, RN, CNRNDirector of Nursing Clinical Programs

& ResearchGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Janet Craig, RN, DHAAssociate ProfessorClemson University

Susan Duggar, MSN, RNChief Nursing OfficerSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Kathy Headley, PhDAssociate Director of ResearchClemson University

Peggy Hewlett, PhD, RN, FAANDean of the College of NursingUniversity of South Carolina

Rosanne Pruitt, PhD, RN, RNCS, FNPDirector of the College of NursingClemson University

Cathy Robey-Williams, MS, RN, MBA,CCRNClinical Director for Behavioral HealthSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Marilyn Schaffner, PhD, RN, CGRNChief Nursing Officer & Administrator

for Clinical ServicesMedical University of South Carolina

Caroline Seigler, MN, RN, FACHEChief Nursing Officer & Vice President

of AdministrationPalmetto Health Baptist

Rita Snyder, PhD, RNAssociate Dean of the College of NursingUniversity of South Carolina

Carolyn Swinton, MN, RNVice PresidentChief Nursing OfficerPalmetto Health Richland

Suzanne White, MN, RN, FAAN,FCCM, FAHA, CNAAVice President of Patient Care & Nursing

ServicesGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Laurie Zone-Smith, PhD, RNManager of Clinical ServicesMedical University of South Carolina



PATIENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Andrea Tanner, MA, PhDAssociate ProfessorUniversity of South Carolina

Dana BruceExecutive Director, Palmetto ChapterJuvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Henry Tisdale, PhD, MAPresidentClaflin University

Charles T. Speth, IIManaging ShareholderOgletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak

& Stewart, P.C.

Jan S. Vick Executive DirectorSC Voices for Patient Safety

PHARMACY COMMITTEE

Dave B. Amsden, PharmD, ChairInterim Director, PharmacyPalmetto Health

George Reid, PharmDDirector of Pharmacy Services

& Special ProjectsSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Fredrick Bender, PharmDDirector of PharmacyGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Joe DiPiro, PharmD, Ex OfficioDeanSouth Carolina College of Pharmacy

Heather Kokko, PharmDInterim Director of PharmacyMedical University of South Carolina

Randall C. Rowen, PharmDDeanSC College of Pharmacy

PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE

Howell Clyborne, ChairVice President for Strategic Initiatives

& Governmental AffairsGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Tammie EppsMedia Relations ManagerPalmetto Health

Sarah KingDirector of Public RelationsMedical University of South Carolina

Margaret LambDirector of Media RelationsUniversity of South Carolina

Chad LawsonPublic Relations ManagerSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Melanie LuxPresidentLux Strategic Communications

Judy Cotchett SmithDirector of Corporate CommunicationsPalmetto Health

Sandy WoodwardPublic Information DirectorClemson University

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL

Shawn Stinson, MD, ChairVice President of Clinical Quality

& Patient SafetyPalmetto Health

Helmut Albrecht, MDDirector, Division of Infectious DiseasesUniversity of South Carolina

Robert Axon, MD, MSCRAssistant ProfessorMedical University of South Carolina

Brandon Bookstaver, PharmD, BCPSClinical Assistant Professor of Infectious

DiseaseUniversity of South Carolina

Amy Brock Martin, DrPH, MSPHSouth Carolina Rural Health Research

CenterUniversity of South Carolina

Peter Carek, MD, MSResidency Program Director for Family

MedicineMedical University of South Carolina

Patrick J. Cawley, MD, MBAExecutive Medical DirectorMedical University of South Carolina

Stephanie CoxDirector of Quality ManagementGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Janet Craig, RN, DHAAssociate ProfessorClemson University

Thomas K. Diller, MD, MMMVice President of Clinical Effectiveness

& QualityGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Anand GramopadhyeProfessor in the Department of Industrial

EngineeringClemson University

Robert McKeown, PhDChair of Epidemiology & BiostatisticsUniversity of South Carolina

Rita Snyder, PhD, RNAssociate Dean of the College of NursingUniversity of South Carolina

WEBSITE ADMINISTRATORS

Marc BaileyDirector of Network ComputersGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Betty BralleyMarketing-WebSpartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Chad CarlsonMarketing SpecialistGreenville Hospital System University

Medical Center

Christine GainerWeb DevelopmentMedical University of South Carolina

Monya HavekostManaging EditorPalmetto Health

HEALTH SCIENCES SOUTH CAROLINA l 803.544.4772 l HealthSciencesSC.org


TOGETHER,WE ARE MAKING

THE DIFFERENCE

AS THE MODEL FORHEALTHCARE

IMPROVEMENT

Five years ago, when Health Sciences South Carolina was in its infancy,

there was no other organization like it in the country. The idea of

bringing together competing research universities and health systems

to work together to improve a state’s health and economic wellbeing

was unheard of in America.

How things have changed.

Other states and universities have recognized the visionary nature of South Carolina and Health Sciences SouthCarolina. They see that high-level collaboration, the type that leverages all resources—intellectual, physical andfinancial—is the route to sparking research, attracting funding for research and investment in new businessventures, and recruiting talent who can innovate and lead. Collaboration also is the fastest route to real change, something our nation desperately needs.

The spirit of collaboration that is the hallmark of Health Sciences South Carolina is now spreading. Our modelfor healthcare improvement is inclusive. The benefits are for all. Please join us.

Health Sciences South Carolina is proud to partner with the State of South Carolina and its Centers of Economic Excellence Program.

803.544.HSSC (4772)www.healthsciencessc.org

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