May 27, 2008 Minutes
MINUTES
University of Minnesota
Academic Health Center
Deans Council
May 27, 2008
The regular meeting of the Deans of the Academic Health Center was held on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. in 475 ChRC.
Members present:
Frank Cerra, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences
Trevor Ames, Interim Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine
Connie Delaney, Dean, School of Nursing
John Finnegan, Dean, School of Public Health
Patrick Lloyd, Dean, School of Dentistry
Deborah Powell, Dean, Medical School
Marilyn Speedie, College of Pharmacy
Linda Watson, Director, Health Sciences Libraries
Staff present:
Terry Bock, Chief of Staff
Barbara Brandt, Assistant Vice President, AHC Office of Education
Jennifer Cieslak, Special Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, AHC
Mary Koppel, Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs
Beth Nunnally, Chief Financial Officer, AHC
Guests present:
Susann Jackson, Director, Student Health Benefits, Boynton Health Services
Tom Seifert, Consultant, Student Health Benefits
Gwen Halaas, Director, Center for Interprofessional Education
Teresa McCarthy, Transitional Care Unit Interprofessional Team
Thomas Lackner, Transitional Care Unit Interprofessional Team
John Huhn, COO, Administrator, Walker Methodist Health Center
Matt McNeill, Director, Marketing and Community Affairs, Walker Methodist Health Center
Individual Schools vs Academic Health Center Actions
Frank Cerra stated there are programs that require participation by individual schools and others that will involve the whole Academic Health Center. The role of individual schools and the role of the Academic Health Center (AHC) in some of these initiatives will have to be discussed further.
Veteran’s Re-Entry Programs: Deborah Powell discussed the Veterans Re-Entry Program that the National Guard is starting to organize that would involve the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, School of Nursing, School of Public Health, and the Medical School. This program would cover the reserves, army national guard and regular army. It is not designed to provide healthcare for returning veterans. Rather, it is to be designed as a portal of access to University programs that could be accessed by returning veterans including those interested in health care related education and occupations. There was continued discussion by the deans on the many possibilities available in the AHC. John Finnegan stated that there is also an additional aspect of the program in regards to health sciences research in this population. He felt there needed to be coordination and integration with the governor’s office and the state. Connie Delaney also commented that the nurse cadet corp is becoming more visible. In order to move this forward, Frank Cerra will ask Greg Beilman, M.D. and Judy Beniak, RN, MPH to work together, and discuss with the National Guard, possible next steps in setting up an appropriate AHC-wide portal for this program. Beilman, Professor of Surgery, is a member of the National Guard and has done two tours of duty in Iraq. Beniak is Director of the Health Careers Center in the Academic Health Center.
Healthy Food, Healthy Lives: John Finnegan stated that Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives started as a Presidential Initiative a few years ago. It has since become the Institute for Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives led by Mindy Kurzer, Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition. Finnegan reported that Kurzer is requesting funding from the schools/colleges for core support. The deans discussed the broader relationship of the Institute to the AHC. The Institute is to have a strong outreach component. Frank Cerra told the deans that he is providing $30,000 in non-recurring funds, and has asked Kurzer to develop a course or some other product for the AHC. Cerra and the deans would like to see an overview of the Institute’s business model, progress and programs. He said the deans need to think about what direction they would like to see for the Institute.
Workforce Data Center Leadership
Barbara Brandt stated that the Minnesota Department of Health scheduled a meeting of 40-50 stakeholders to determine what data should be collected for the state workforce data center. Brandt told the deans that the AHC needs to be taking leadership on this data collection. Frank Cerra said there is also a lot of work to be done with regards to the health reform bill. He asked Marty McDonough, Assistant Director, State Relations, to summarize the bill and help get AHC representation on key taskforces, etc. Cerra asked the deans to send him the names of 1-2 faculty members representing their school/college for a meeting on this subject.
Non-Paid Faculty Taskforce
Barbara Brandt said there had been two meetings of the Non-Paid Faculty Taskforce. The goal of the taskforce is to develop a consistent policy and procedure for appointing, naming and managing this group of faculty. Brandt distributed the appointment types that are now being used within the University and AHC schools/colleges. She stressed that all the appointment types are non-paid. Patrick Lloyd confirmed that the non-paid positions have an x.500 number and, therefore, the schools/colleges are being charged around $3,000 per non-paid faculty for access to University services, such as e-mail and the library. There are approximately 4,500 of these appointments within the AHC. Cerra asked the deans to review their list of non-paid faculty to determine their needs for the education and training programs. Frank Cerra stated a letter was sent to Provost Sullivan outlining the AHC progress on 7.12 statements and the AHC’s use of non-paid faculty. Tom Clayton, Chair of the Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, was sent a copy of the letter in response to the committee’s concerns about non-paid faculty. Provost Sullivan agreed it was an Academic Health Center issue.
Student Disability
Susann Jackson was contacted by a Medical School student asking about disability insurance because they learned it was available for students in the School of Dentistry. Jackson worked with Guardian Insurance Co. for a benefit schedule for the Medical School, College of Pharmacy, School of Nursing, and College of Veterinary Medicine. She stated that one of the most important aspects of this benefit is that it guarantees a long-term benefit with conversion in the future. Jackson stated that Guardian Insurance estimated that 10-15% of the AHC students will not qualify for long-term disability insurance, and others will have pre-existing conditions which could hamper their chances of obtaining long-term disability insurance. The cost of the policy would be around $65 per student per year. Barbara Brandt indicated that Jackson presented this to the Student Consultative Committee as it is an issue of concern. Frank Cerra stated that if this insurance is provided, it will be mandatory for all AHC students at all levels of training. He asked Jackson to present an analysis of the plan by school/college, including specific benefits/covered services, and total costs, at a future Deans Council meeting.
Transitional Care Unit
Teresa McCarthy and Thomas Lackner provided an update on the Transitional Care Unit at Walker Methodist Health Center. Interprofessional faculty currently provides transitional care services to patients on a 44 bed unit (TCU). The patients are medically complex and discharged from the hospital but require ongoing medical and/or rehabilitative services. McCarthy said that data from a study completed in 2004 demonstrate that the team care decreased the length of stay by 3.4 days (27%) on average with a cost savings to Medicare of approximately $1,000/patient. The hospital readmission rate for the team was 17.3% compared to 25% for the national and local average. The TCU also had improved patient satisfaction surveys.
John Huhn stated that Walker Methodist Health Center is in the process of repositioning their facilities and services to better serve their customers. He would like the Academic Health Center (AHC) to be a part of this process. Frank Cerra felt that McCarthy and Lackner should work with Huhn on what the AHC could provide.
The meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy Anderson
Staff to the Academic Health Center Deans Council
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