April 8, 2011 MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA Vol. 29, No. 32

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3SafetyeScort

New outpatientclinic providesfollow up care

after minimally-invasive surgery.

2

11

5

PublicSafety offersassistance 24hours a day

for employees,students

and visitors.

Donate to YES

Meet Angello

Classifieds

InsIde

the catalyStonline

http://www.musc.edu/

catalyst

Virclinic

Campaign champions clinical trials

The story behindthe face on the

poster ...

Seeing pictures of herself plastered on thebacks of buses or on life-sized posters in

the lobby at Hollings Cancer Center takessome getting used to.Ann Ramsdell recalls coming into the

Hollings Cancer Center (HCC) lobby withher son, Griffin, who got excited when he

saw the poster. “He asked, ‘Mommy, whenwe took that picture, did it help you feelbetter? Did it help you not be so sick?’”She told him yes, in more ways than he

could know.If the images lead to just one person

enrolling in a clinical trial, it’s worthit to researcher Ramsdell, Ph.D. Thedevelopmental biology scientist andassociate professor who works at HCC isone of many patients who are allowingtheir stories and pictures to be used as partof a campaign to raise awareness of theimportance of clinical trials.Ramsdell, who was diagnosed in June

2009 with stage 3 breast cancer, said herdiagnosis shocked her. She was training

for a marathon, ate well and had no historyof breast cancer. “I did everything right. Iwas not a person who was supposed to getcancer.”Yet, the diagnosis. Life goes like that

sometimes.Ramsdell absorbed the shock, her mind

racing to her two boys, ages 3 and 5 at thetime. “The very first thing I said was ‘Oh,

my God, my children—my boys,’ and thenthe second thing I thought was how do I docancer without needles? I hate needles.”Researching clinical trials before she even

met with her doctor, she knew she would beenrolling in one because they offer access tothe latest treatments and medications.“I wanted whatever would be the most

aggressive form of treatment. Secondly,as a scientist, I think there is great valuein participating in clinical trials, not onlyfor oneself but for future generationsof patients. I truly believe that. Beingscientists, we run experiments every day.

Patients come and go, but there are thosewho leave that indelible imprint. One

of those for Robert K. Stuart, M.D., was hisfirst cancer patient—a teenager with advancedHodgkin lymphoma. He met him on thefirst day of his oncology fellowship in 1976.Stuart’s faculty supervisor thought the casehopeless.

Stuart, too young to know better, thoughtotherwise, and opted to treat him on aclinical trial.

“Not only did he survive, he eventuallyinvited me to his wedding,” he said. “I hadno hesitation in recommending a clinical trialfor my wife when she needed one.” The onlyreason he didn’t volunteer for a clinical trialwhen he had kidney cancer was there werenone at the time.

Times have changed.Hollings Cancer Center (HCC) wants to

make sure everyone knows that through aclinical trials awareness campaign aimed atgetting more patients campuswide involvedin clinical trials. HCC is striving forComprehensive Cancer Center status withthe National Cancer Institute, the highest

By dawn Brazell

Public Relations

See Ramsdell on page 10

See Trials on page 8

Terri Matson stands beside a HCCcampaign poster featuring Dr. RobertK. Stuart and his family.

2 The CaTalysT, April 8, 2011

The Catalyst is published once a week.Paid adver tisements, which do notrepresent an endorsement by MUSCor the State of South Carolina, arehandled by Island Publications Inc. ,Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St. ,Charleston, S.C., 843-849-1778 or843-958-7490. E-mail: sales@moultrienews.com.

Editorial of ficeMUSC Office of Public Relations135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C,Charleston, SC 29425.843-792-4107Fax: 843-792-6723

Editor: Kim Draughncatalyst@musc.edu

Catalyst staff:Cindy Abole, aboleca@musc.eduDawn Brazell, brazell@musc.edu

EmployEE WEllnEssDuring the month of April, MUSC

Employee Wellness will offer events andprograms that focus on ways to becomefit for life. To raise awareness of theimportance of physical fitness and topromote the idea that fitness is fun, therewill be a Zumba Fest at noon, April 13in the Horseshoe.

Zumba incorporates Latin dance tocreate a dynamic and effective fitnesssystem. Instructor James Johnson fromthe MUSC Wellness Center will beleading what will be the largest outdoorclass held at MUSC. The free event isopen to the public and no experience isnecessary.

Healthy vendors will also be on hand,including CSA Farmers, Giddy GoatCheese, Roti Rolls and Happy CamperSnoballs.

Physical inactivity and unhealthyeating contribute to being overweightand obese and a number of chronicdiseases, including some cancers,cardiovascular disease and diabetes.These lifestyle-related conditions areamong the most prevalent, costly andpreventable of all health problems.

The leading causes of death in thiscountry as well as South Carolina areheart disease, cancer and stroke. Sixty-five percent of adults in the state areoverweight or obese and more than halfof the adult population does not getenough exercise to reduce their risk forchronic disease.

That’s the bad news. The good news isthat leading a healthy lifestyle by avoiding

tobacco use, being physically active andeating well greatly reduces a person’s riskfor developing chronic disease.

Employee Wellness eventsq MUSC employee fitness series: Afree Pilates class will be held from 12:15to 12:45 p.m., April 12 at the MUSCWellness Center. Participants willalso receive a free one-day pass to theWellness Center. E-mail musc-empwell@musc.edu to register.q Wellness Wednesday: Experts fromthe Weight Management Center willbe available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.April 13 at the Wellness Wednesdaybooth outside Ashley River Towercafeteria. BMI and body compositionmeasurements will be available.q Mobile mammograms: The HollingsCancer Center Mobile Van will beconducting mammograms from 9 a.m. to3 p.m. April 20 next to the Basic ScienceBuilding loading dock, behind theCollege of Dental Medicine. Call 792-0878 to schedule an appointmentq Happy Healthy Hour: A 10-week

weight loss program will be held from5:30 - 6:30 p.m Thursdays at the Instituteof Psychiatry, Suite 410 South, 67President St. The cost is $98 and payrolldeduction is available. Sign up at sign upat musc-empwell@musc.edu.

Contact Susan Johnson at johnsusa@musc.edu to become involved inemployee wellness at MUSC. Events,speakers, classes, or any other ideas arewelcome.

Employees Gerald Garza, left, and Jim Fisher, right, are congratulatedby MUSC President Dr. Ray Greenberg during the 2011 YearlyEmployee Support Campaign Loyalty Awards Ceremony April 4.Garza and Fisher, along with Betts Ellis, Sherry Gillespie-Miller andMargaret Schachte, have been donating to the campaign since itsinception in 1985. More than $6 million has been donated to supportthe university’s mission. To donate, visit http://www.musc.edu.

Dear Colleagues:We are writing to ask you to join each of us in support of the 2011 YearlyEmployee Support (YES) Campaign. For years, this annual campaign has helpedto provide the margin of excellence needed to change what’s possible in patientcare, research and health-related education. We hope that you will join us inmaking an important contribution toward this pursuit.

The campaign is an internal fund-raising drive that allows us all to make apersonal gift to the MUSC Foundation fund(s) of our choice. Some chooseto support medical research, while others contribute to scholarships, outreachprograms, the medical center or their own department. With more than 1,200funds from which to choose, you are sure to find a program that has specialmeaning for you.

Thank you for all that you do every day. At MUSC, every employee plays animportant part in making this a special place for the students, patients andfamilies who have entrusted us with an important part of their lives. Now, youhave the opportunity to change what’s possible for these individuals through a giftto the YES Campaign.

With deepest appreciation,

Raymond S. Greenberg, MD, PhD W. Stuart SmithMUSC President VP for Clinical Operations

Executive Director, Medical CenterStephen A. Valerio

Chief Executive Officer Howard A. Evert, MDUniversity Medical Associates Carolina Family Care President

The CaTalysT, April 8, 2011 3

After three violent attacks within blocks of theMUSC campus in the last month, the Department

of Public Safety wants to highlight what is being doneto prevent similar attacks from happening at MUSC.

One important service is the Safety Escort Programthat was created to ensure a safe environment, especiallyfor those working night or early morning shifts.

The closest attack was within two blocks of campuson Vanderhorst Street, where a 23-year-old womanwas punched and then dragged to a parking lot whereshe was sexually assaulted. Major Kevin Kerley, patrolcommander, strongly encourages people to takeadvantage of the Safety Escort Program. The service iscompletely free and available 24 hours a day, seven daysa week. In 2010, there were 2,517 safety escorts. Therealso are 163 active call boxes that anyone can use to gethelp around campus.

Another program offered is the Rape AggressionDefense (RAD) class. Students, faculty, staff andvolunteers are eligible to participate in the free class.However, the class does fill up quickly and can onlyhold 20 participants. The class, for women only, hasfour sessions that are each about three hours long. The

focus is to teach awareness, prevention, risk reductions,risk avoidance and hands-on defense.

A student of the class who wished to remainanonymous said taking the course was one of thebest things she could have done. “I am confident inspeaking for all of us participants when I say that RADwas a very empowering and eye-opening experienceproviding us with very practical knowledge and skillsnecessary for minimizing personal risk. Our instructorsmade the experience comfortable, accessible—even fun—without down playing the seriousness of the topic.”

Some of the students were particularly apprehensiveabout the hands-on training, especially the livesimulation at the end, but she found those aspects ofthe course to be the most beneficial, she said.“I can't wait for a follow-up course. I would recommendit for anyone. It's surprising the many small ways inwhich we all can decrease our vulnerability of beingattacked each day.”

Kerley and Lt. Fred Wanner said there are a thingsyou can do to avoid getting in dangerous situations.q Try to always walk in groups especially at nightq Walk on the lighted side of the streetq Look around and do not text so that you are awareof your surroundingsq If you are on the phone, give them an idea of where

you are coming from and where you are goingq Take advantage of services such as the Safety EscortProgram to prevent the possibility of being assaulted

To receive an escort, call 792-2261 and provide yourname, current location, baggage (if any), destination,and physical description of yourself. For information onthe service, visit http://www.musc.edu/publicsafety/escort.shtml. For information on RAD, go to http://www.musc.edu/publicsafety/rad.shtml.

By KaTIe sTaCy

Public Relations

Safety Escort Program ensures safety, available 24/7

Recently there has been an increase in thenumber of thefts from vehicles in the downtownCharleston area. MUSC has experienced two on-campus incidents during the week of March 28.Take the time to secure personal property out ofsight, including any mounting hardware for GPSand electronic equipment, if possible. Make surethe windows are closed and the vehicle is locked.

Report any suspicious individuals you see in thearea immediately to MUSC Public Safety at 792-4196. Provide the dispatch with a description of theindividual(s) to include clothing, what you observedthem doing, the location where you saw them andthe direction they were going.

Protect yourself from theft, secure vehicle

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CurrEnts April 5 To Medical Center Employees:At the April 5 management communication meeting Brad Masteller, general manager,

Sodexo Dietetic Services, and Mary Basil, nutrition manager, gave the management teaman impressive update on a wide variety of initiatives ranging from optimizing nutrition forvery low birth weight babies to community support projects. The opening of the renovatedUniversity Hospital cafeteria and the “at your request bedside meals,” as discussed byMasteller, have both been a big hit this year. Masteller mentioned the January AVATARpatient satisfaction results indicate a mean score of 92.34 for “room service” and, forthe Children’s Hospital, a Press Ganey survey ranking of 95th percentile for “quality offood.” Additional details are included in this newsletter.

Christine Lewis, Coding and Processing manager, updated the management teamon a major project underway to convert the International Classification of Diseases(ICD) 9 codes to ICD-10 codes for diagnoses and procedures. The Centers for Medicareand Medicaid Services is requiring these changes by October 2013. The changes willinvolve a dramatic increase in the number of new codes and will require a new systemand education. We can expect a number of related operational and policy changes in thefuture. Additional details are in this newsletter.

On another matter, recently you may have read an article in The Catalyst concerningadvancements with social media. Our Public Relations, Marketing and otherdepartments throughout the organization have been creative in using social media toenhance our communication and business operations. Not surprisingly, abuse of socialmedia, such as Facebook, has been observed here and at other hospitals. I have asked atask force to revisit our current guidelines and policies and prepare recommendations onhow we can maintain access to Facebook and other social media while eliminating on-the-job abuse. The task force’s recommendations will be disseminated in or around June2011.

Finally, we continue to make progress with drilling down on our 5 + 5 cost savingsplans as discussed in previous Currents newsletters and town hall meetings. Our goal is toreduce costs (using fiscal year 2009 as the base year) by 5 percent this year and 5 percentnext year while improving the quality of care. We are using the IMPROVE performanceimprovement tool to structure and track our cost savings. We currently have more than300 individual costs savings (IMPROVE) plans covering topics such as: reductions inaverage length of stay; operating room turnover; discharge process; standardization ofcontracts, supply savings, reduction of bloodstream infections; improved blood utilization;reduction of overtime and many others. At this point our costs, in general, appear flatover the base period, but we have absorbed a pay increase and routine inflation increases.I am optimistic that in the next several months that we will see the results of much hardwork. I want to thank everyone involved for your dedicated efforts.

Thank you very much.

W. Stuart SmithVice President for Clinical Operationsand Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center

People–Fostering employeepride and loyaltySodexo update

Brad Masteller,Dietetic Servicesgeneral manager, andMary Basel, chiefclinical dietitian andnutrition manager,reviewed highlightsfrom a recent expectations meeting withMUHA administrators. He revieweddetails from completed projects such aslast August’s Phase 2 renovation andgrand opening (University HospitalCafeteria); At Your Request RoomService Dining (University Hospital);Sodexo’s Star Chef Club; Sodexo’sGlobal Chef program and otherprograms that contributed to improvedpatient satisfaction scores.

Basel spoke about progress made inclinical nutrition from staff presentingresearch, Dietetic Services Partnership(enteral ordering and delivery);parenteral nutrition, MUSC-Citadel’sHeart Health program to a partnershipwith Weight Management Programsupporting food service employees.

Other successful projectsinclude Healthy Holiday Cookingdemonstrations, food swap, Stuff the Buscampaign; sustainability harvests withlocal farmers, Katie’s Krops, recyclingand other activities.

HR updateHelena Bastian, MUHA Human

Resources director, presented thefollowing topics:q New HR Performance ImprovementInitiative—Recruiters now roundingmonthly on pool of new hires with goalsto improve— retention of new hires,application tracking system (PeopleAdmin), On boarding process, and HRWeb site to include New Hire linksq SuccessFactors Job Transitions —If an employee is in a new job or ifthe job has significantly changed, aTransitional Planning form is availablein SuccessFactors to assist managers withthe evaluation process. Contact Kim

Duncan, 792-1962, duncanki@musc.edu or Michelle Forman, 792-6219,foreman@musc.edu.q Retirement Plan selection (employeesin regular [permanent] positions)—Allemployees hired into regular (permanent)positions, regardless of the number ofhours worked, must participate in aretirement plan and make a selectionin first 30 days of regular (permanent)employment. For information, contactthe Benefits Desk, 792-0826.q LDI Tracking Database update—

The database is down from 10-11 a.m.,Tuesdays and Thursdays. Managers areencouraged to close out the databaseprior to 10 a.m. on those days.

LDI tracking database classes areoffered from 1-2:30 p.m., the secondThursday of each month. Register viaCATTS

Staff Qualifications form update—POCT, CATTS and Annual Unit/Dept. Position competency fields arenow reported as an “expire date or notapplicable” field (similar to the BLS,ACLS and Respiratory Fit Testing)

Key points to staff qualificationsupdate—new date fields have beenautomatically populated with a Dec.1 date (you may change these dates tocoincide with your unit requirements asneeded). CATTS field will be updatedto reflect 2010 data; reports for newfields were updated as of March 31; staffqualification reports should now reflectnew data

MUHA PTO Transfer Request for 2011 YesCampaign

In support of 2011 YES Campaign,MUHA will afford eligible employeesthe opportunity to transfer PTO hoursto support the campaign. This request isseparate and independent of any otherYES Campaign pledges. Employees maytransfer the cash value of PTO hours.MUHA will write a check for the totalcash value of PTO hours transferredTransferred hours will not be consideredgross income. Employees will not paynormal taxes on the value of leavetransferred.

MUHA has been advised by tax

counsel that PTO hours transferredcannot be claimed as a tax deductiblegift and eligible employees must have aremaining balance of 120 PTO hours

Employees may request to transfer aminimum of eight hours/maximum of40 hours of accrued PTO to support thecampaign.

MUHA PTO Transfer Request will beavailable via My Record on or aroundApril 10.

Benefit of the Month—AprilFitness at Work—MUSC Employee

Fitness Series; Wellness WednesdayBooths, National Start! Walking Day(April 20); Earth Day Celebration (April21); Bike to Work Day (April 21); FitnessFair (April 27) and Fitness Fun Factsposted on broadcast messages

Classification of Diseases—ICD-10 Revision

See Currents on page 9

The CaTalysT, April 8, 2011 5

mEEt AngEllo

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How long at MUSC10 years

What music is in your CD playerWOW 2011

Why did you choose transplantationIt offers the patients a chance for a new,healthy life. It has a similar analogy tobeing born again.

What organ do you enjoy transplantingthe mostThe liver. It is one of the most challengingoperations a surgeon can perform withhigh risks of massive hemorrhage and othercomplications. Due to its difficulty level,there is a great sense of satisfaction at theend of the case for a job well done. Moreimportantly, the patients will undergoincredible transformation after successfulliver transplantation. It is a privilege tobe part of that process, from near death toliving well.

Greatest moment in your lifeI was rescued after nearly drowning in LakeLanier.

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Amonth ago, Lisa Miles struggled to do simplechores around her country home in Cordova, just

miles outside of Orangeburg. Years earlier when Milesunderwent a successful double bypass heart surgery atMUSC she entrusted the physicians and staff for herspecialized care. Recently, Miles returned to MUSCto help manage other medical complications and wasguided to the care of physicians at Ashley River Tower’snew Vascular Interventional Radiology (VIR) outpatientclinic.

The VIR clinic was established to provide qualitycomprehensive medical care and expertise in a visibleand accessible location for patients. The weekly clinic,located in the same first-floor clinical area sharedby cardiology, vascular and gastrointestinal surgery,opened its doors last November. Since 1993, thedivision established themselves by performing about1,300 minimally-invasive procedures. Today, thanksto advances in technology and patient outcomes, thatnumber has almost quadrupled to more than 7,500specialty procedures in 2009.

Marcelo Guimaraes, M.D., assistant professor ofvascular and interventional radiology in MUSC’sHeart & Vascular Center, said that the VIR clinic is adedicated clinic focused on patient care services whileworking collaboratively with referring primary carephysicians and other medical specialists.

“The new clinic is dedicated to accommodatingpatients for both pre-and-post operative procedures andfor the screening of patients with peripheral arterialdisease. We’re focused on patient education, preventionand early management of peripheral vascular diseasewhich is highly prevalent in South Carolina,” he said.

The VIR clinic also enhances and increases thelevel of quality service and patient care that we striveto provide our patients, he said. Medical innovationand the development of minimally-invasive proceduresguided by imaging under the Division of InterventionalRadiology has been present at MUSC since the 1990s.It was vascular and interventional radiologists whopioneered balloon angioplasty and stent placementto treat peripheral arterial disease. The VIR teamhas since worked in collaboration with vascular,cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology in this field.

Traditionally, interventional radiologists wereregarded as procedure-operator specialists based solelyin dedicated suites and units under the Departmentof Radiology’s Vascular and Interventional RadiologyDivision. Later, their expertise evolved and they becamemore available for specialty consults for procedureplanning in a patient’s team approach to care. But thepractice and need for more patients to be treated using

non-surgical, low-risk procedures continue to grow,according to Guimaraes. The MUSC InterventionalRadiology team knew they needed to plan how tobest accommodate patients with more convenient andcomprehensive services, such as the weekly clinic as aresource for optimum care.

Renan B. Uflacker, M.D., Interventional Radiologydirector, said he feels the clinic meets the needs of whattheir services couldn’t provide before—a comprehensiveapproach to minimally-invasive procedures.

“The patients know ahead of time what theprocedures are about, understand the indicationsand the risks and benefits involved and know whatto expect in the future. The clinic is just one tool ourInterventional Radiology Division provides to improveservices by treating more complex patients with thehighest standards of medical care as possible. We feelmuch more proactive today, working like surgeons, inclosing that gap of care and providing long-term followup care for our patients.”

The VIR division has five interventionists whoshare strong training and experience in minimally-invasive therapy procedures. These specialists canperform more than 50 different types, includingtreating patients diagnosed with arterial andvenous disease (atherosclerosis, blood clots)carotid stenosis and oncology patients (using cryo,microwave and radiofrequency ablations, as well aschemoembolization—all under image guidance) usedto treat cancers of the liver, kidney and lungs. Oncea patient receives care, they are redirected to theirreferring or primary care physician.

Results from a peripheral vascular test in January ledMiles to the VIR clinic and Guimaraes’ care. On March15, she traveled to Charleston for a 45 minute-longabdominal aortic stent placement procedure conductedby Guimaraes. Hours later, Miles was walking aroundand resting back at home.

“I felt good,” she said, comparing her recovery timefrom the invasive procedure to previous open heartsurgery. “I felt blessed to be able to walk and do thingsaround my house again.”

“It is important to share with our colleagues a shiftin the way we are practicing medicine and our fullcommitment to the best care for our patients, not onlyas minimally invasive techniques operators, but as VIRphysicians capable of providing comprehensive care,”Guimaraes said.

ART’s VIR clinic is open on Thursday afternoons. Toschedule an appointment, call 876-5558.

New outpatient VIR clinic offers convenienceBy CIndy aBole

Public Relations

“I feel the clinic helps meetthe needs of what our servicescouldn’t provide before—acomprehensive approach tominimally-invasive procedures.”

Dr. Renan Uflacker

VIR clinic physician Dr. Marcelo Guimaraeschecks the lungs of patient Gail Kemp.

How many eggs should I eat in a week? Whatare low potassium and low sodium foods?Which is better, butter or margarine? Todaythere are many discrepancies about food andnutrition. MUSC dietitians are available onlineto answer employee questions about food anddiet. At MUSC there are more than 25 registereddietitians who are experts in nutrition.

To ask your question, visit the websitehttp://www.muschealth.com/dietitianqa.

conSult MuSc online DietitianS

The Catalyst, April 8, 2011 7

Nutritionmatters

Jillian Butt

Many have heard the saying “everything inmoderation” in relation to weight control, butAmerican restaurants and manufacturers are makingthis motto difficult to follow. Not only are fast foodand sit-down restaurants giving more generous servings,but even common grocery products are increasing insize.

This trend has been occurring for hundreds of years,with the most dramaticincreases happening in thelast 20 years. Scientists atCornell University haveeven studied depictionsof mealtimes in majorworks of art such as the“The Last Supper” andfound that plate sizes andfood quantities in arthave increased over time.

Combine increased portion sizes with downward trendsin time spent exercising, and we could have a seriousproblem on our hands.

Eating out and buying groceries have become achallenge when trying to maintain or lose weight.Common fast food restaurants have super-sized menusthat provide patrons with portions far surpassing

those recommended by the 2010 Dietary Guidelinesfor Americans set by the United States Department ofAgriculture. For example, Burger King has recentlyadded a new larger, 12 ounce burger option, equalingtwo days worth of the recommended meat portion.Many of these companies recently have even changedthe names of their sizes such as Biggie and Great Biggieto Medium and Large without changing the portion,thus lulling the consumer into a false sense of security.In addition, commonly available foods in grocery storeshave increased in size with some being as high as seventimes the recommended amounts.

There are a few tricks to make your food choices theright portions. When eating out at a restaurant, alwayslook for highlighted healthier options. For example,TGI Friday’s recently advertised their “Right Portion,Right Price” menu with smaller, healthier lunch anddinner options. Also, consider sharing a larger mealbetween two people or have half of the meal boxedbefore it is even brought to the table. Make fast foodtrips a rare occasion, and always choose the smallestsize. When eating at home, choose smaller plates, bowlsand utensils. Finally, take the time to learn what properportion sizes look like.

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distinction that a cancer center canreceive with only 40 centers in the nationhaving achieved it. One way to achieve itis to have at least 15 percent of patientsenrolled in a clinical trial. HCC has justpassed the 12 percent mark.

The campaign’s motto: “The nextbreakthrough could be yours.” Stuart,HCC medical director of clinical trials,said the campaign isn’t just for HCC, butfor all departments in the hospital.

“Frankly, we need more physicianinvolvement. We need M.D.s whoare not satisfied with the status quo,who believe in trials as the only way toimprove outcomes, who get involvedenough to find the best trials, and whoare willing to recommend—not justoffer—trials to their patients.”

Greater knowledge of the humangenome has uncovered a huge numberof potential “targets” for cancer therapy.This means the need for clinical trialsand the potential for meaningfulimprovements in treatment have neverbeen greater, another reason he feels sopassionate about HCC’s campaign, hesaid.

“Clinical trials are the only way toadvance new ideas and discoveriesfrom the laboratory to the clinic. Ihave personally seen lives saved byparticipation in clinical trials. Todaycancer patients in North America havea two-thirds chance of surviving theircancer; in the 1970s, it was only a one-half chance. How do you think thathappened?”

Terri Matson, director for researchadministration at HCC, knows how ithappens.

“We’re definitely going in the rightdirection,” said Matson, who is helpingto spearhead the awareness campaignthat is targeted to faculty, staff andpatients. “Discoveries only can comeabout because of clinical trials.”

Common MisconceptionsMatson hopes the campaign will

correct some misconceptions that keeppatients from participating. Somepatients fear they won’t be getting the“real” treatment that could save theirlives. “This couldn’t be further fromthe truth, since all patients get the samestandard of care. Being in a clinical trial

wouldn’t prevent that. What it coulddo is shed light on what tomorrow’sstandard of care will be,” she said.

Matson said what many people failto realize is that participation in a trialactually gives them an added layer ofsecurity.

“There’s another level of monitoring.”There’s an altruistic side of

participating in trials in that somepatients feel they might benefit the nextgeneration. Of course, patients withlife-threatening illnesses hope they havelanded a trial that offers clues to a cureor better treatment, she said. Sometimesthat doesn’t happen, but it’s part of theprocess.

At HCC, about 12 percent of allpatients or about 270 a year enroll intrials. At any given time, there will bemore than 1,200 patients involved invarious trials, covering a wide range ofobjectives.

The campaign features life-size postersand flyers in lobbies and waiting areas.Though the patients featured are cancersurvivors, the campaign is to raiseawareness in all specialties of the value ofclinical trials, she said. Staff members arewearing buttons and have been trainedin how to field questions.

“This campaign affects every singlefaculty and staff member here. We wantpatients to feel comfortable asking aboutclinical trials and physicians to feelmotivated to get their patients enrolled.”

More patient enrollment translates tobetter research and bodes well for fasterdevelopment in the field of personalizedmedicine, she said. “That’s where thefuture of health care is going. Patients

are going to respond differently becausewe have different genetics.”

Her advice to patients and medicalprofessionals is to ask questions andbecome aware of the latest ongoing trialsin their area of interest. There can bedifferent types of trials, such as treatmentor screening, and different phases thatthey can be in.

One tip she has for newly-diagnosedpatients is to seek out an academicmedical center for a second opinion andask about the availability of clinical trialsbefore seeking treatment.

“Patients should evaluate all theiroptions.”

Pediatric Role Model

An area that has had the mostsuccess in getting patients enrolled ispediatrics. Historically, pediatric cancerclinical trials have been a model in thatnationally 80 percent of eligible childrenenroll. At MUSC’s Children’s Hospital,it’s 85 percent, according to MichelleHudspeth, M.D., director of pediatricblood and marrow transplantationand division director of pediatrichematology/oncology.

Offering high-quality clinical trials isan inherent part of pediatric oncology.The dramatic improvements duringthe last 30 years in the cure rates ofchildhood cancer are directly linked toclinical trials, she said.

“When faced with a newly-diagnosedcancer patient, pediatric oncologistsinstinctively ask, ‘What clinical trialsare available for my patient?’ We areall aware of the tremendous legacy ofclinical trials in our field and are eager to

hopefully have our generation of patientsbecome part of the next breakthrough intreatment.”

Hudspeth said parents need tounderstand the amount of planning andmonitoring that is involved. She typicallytakes the time to explain to familiesthe level of intense scientific scrutinythat has happened on a national levelin the development of the cooperativeChildren’s Oncology Group trials.

“I also make sure they understand thattrials have stopping rules and undergofrequent review by data monitoring andsafety boards. For instance, if there is aclear benefit to a particular treatmentor an unacceptable rate of toxicitiesoccurs, the trial is stopped, and we areimmediately notified. Because childhoodcancer is overall rare, significant advancesin treatment can only occur throughinvolvement in cooperative group trials.”

For enrollment in clinical trials tohappen, physicians have to be willingto make the time to do the educationrequired, she said. In her area, familiesare understandably in shock when theirchild is diagnosed with cancer.

“We have a tremendous responsibilityto make sure patients and familiesunderstand what clinical trials are, howthe therapy may differ from standard ofcare and that participation is truly theirchoice. Physicians need to be able tohave the time to spend with families toexplain the process and their options.”

She hopes future efforts for clinicaltrial enrollment will look at novel waysof educating patients and families aboutclinical trials, such as better utilizingtechnology to share information andhelp families make complex decisions.

Stuart agrees, and hopes patientsrealize the need to be proactive. Whileit’s the role of doctor and investigatorto evaluate trials and determine theirquality, feasibility and appropriatenessfor the patient population, it may be thepatient who is most motivated to startthe discussion, he said.

“We encourage patients to educatethemselves about clinical trials, askwhether they are eligible for a trial andseek a recommendation from theirphysician. I have concluded that the bestway to motivate physicians to becomeinvolved in trials is for their patients toask about them. That’s why we are doingthis awareness campaign.”

TrIals Continued from Page One

The followingwebsites offerimportantinformationabout clinicaltrials: http://scresearch.org/; http://hcc.musc.edu/clinicaltrials;and http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui.

The CaTalysT, April 8, 2011 9

CurrenTs Continued from Page Four

ImplementationChristine Lewis, Health Information

Services and Medical Records, explainedchanges with the internationalclassification of diseases (ICD-9)procedure code sets. Beginning in fall2013, the Center for Medicare andMedicaid Services will implement anew version of procedure code sets withICD-10 (diagnoses) and ICD-10-PCS(inpatient procedures). MUSC and allpayors must comply with this change byOct. 1, 2013. Migrating accurately to thisnew coding system will affect the medicalcenter’s revenue. The new ICD-10system provides room for expansion andupgrades the institution to internationalstandards. To prepare for this migration,all MUSC systems must be synched. Animplementation team was formed toguide this complex process. In January2012, the hospital will change its version4010 to version 5010 billing specs toreflect the ICD-10 change. The team isevaluating its coding processes, work viaaudits and analysis as well as preparingan educational plan to train andcommunicate changes.

Nurse Manager CouncilNatalie Ankney, R.N., chair of Nurse

Manager Council, introduced detailsabout the council and how clinicalstaff can submit an agenda item andpresent to the council. Last fall, thegroup focused on improvements makingit more efficient, productive andapproachable. They added a new steeringcouncil to help streamline proposedtopics and presentations. Presentersmay complete and submit a Nurse

Manager Council topic request form bythe end of the month and prior to thesteering council’s monthly meeting (1stWednesday). For information, visit theirwebsite via the MUHA intranet.

Quality—Providing qualitypatient care in a safeenvironment

Pat Gaylor, R.N.,quality and safetyspecialist, spoke aboutthis year’s Culture ofSafety Survey.

This surveyserves to support aleadership standardset by the Joint Commission thatleaders create and maintain a cultureof safety and quality throughout theorganization. As of April 4, 26 percentMUSC employees completed the surveywith the top three areas for completionbeing Environmental Services (100percent), Dietetics (82 percent) andFacilities (61 percent). Gaylor encouragesall employees to complete the survey.Individual employee survey responses areconfidential. The survey is open untilApril 15.

Announcementsq April is National Donate Life Month;On April 22, the MUSC TransplantCenter will host a blood, bone andmarrow and South Carolina organ donorregistry drive at the portico from 11:30a.m. to 3 p.m. For information, call SaraStello at 792-4658.q The next meeting is April 19.

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Here was an opportunity to do soon a whole different level. It was anopportunity to give back.”Many patients fail to realize that all

participants in a clinical trial receivethe highest standard of care that wouldbe delivered to any patient. The onlydifference is that they may also begetting another layer of care, such as adrug or technique, she said.She enrolled in a trial and proceeded

with her treatment, which includedchemotherapy, surgery, radiation,physical therapy and medication. One

part of her treatment at HCC that shefound beneficial was working with a

neurobehavioral oncologist.“Having someone capable of talking

to me about these life issues is huge.I’m a scientist. I can push him on thenumbers. We can have some very directconversations. Some patients don’t wantto know, but I do.”Getting through treatment was one

of the hardest things she’s had to do,but everyone from a volunteer with thesnack cart to members of her oncologyteam kept her from staying stuck inwhat can become a dark, depressingtime, she said. “I have a dream team.There’s a lot of compassion here. Therewere days when I could barely getmyself here, but there was the power ofa smile or someone calling me by myname or asking about my children.”During treatment, she unexpectedly

found a new calling.Having five-hour days to spend in an

infusion suite gave her time to researchbreast cancer. For the past 15 years,her research has focused on embryonicheart development and congenital heartdefects, but what she found in herreading was that many genes involvedin heart development also are associatedwith breast cancer.Her excitement grew as she started

making more connections, developinga research plan that received grantfunding from the National Institutesof Health this month. It’s engaging toswitch gears, she said. “When you bringpeople into a field that’s new, it can

bring fresh insights.”Her collaborative project with

Demetri Spyropoulos, Ph.D., willinvestigate whether these genes are

deregulated during mammary glandformation and if so, whether thiselevates the risk for developing breastcancer later in life. In collaborationwith Joan E. Cunningham, Ph.D., thework will extend into population-based

studies of breast cancer patients.Ramsdell said she had no idea how

long and extensive her recovery would

be. She’s finally back to going for her

runs and working out with a personaltrainer. She’s grateful for the insightsshe’s gained through her battle withcancer and the way her life has changedfor the better. She’s done a reassessmentof her life on all levels of what’simportant to her, including her research,she said.“I’m happier now. I’m more conscious

of what stays and what goes—what’sreally important. If my children want tolinger five minutes more over pancakes,

then we do.”She’s glad her experience can be

a part of HCC’s campaign to raiseawareness on the importance of clinicaltrials. “It takes education. If peoplereally understood that the benefits are

really high—the potential is really therefor a better form of treatment, thenpeople would have more incentive toparticipate.”Ramsdell said it never occurred to her

to not be in a clinical trial.“It’s a matter of preserving my life.

As a mother with young children, Ihave that responsibility to go after themost aggressive treatment possible.I’m not private about my diagnosis ormy treatment experience. Part of that

is that I want people to understandabout clinical trials. I hope I’m helpingothers.”

ramsdell Continued from Page One

Dr. Ann Ramsdell

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