e-Update
April 1,
2003
Weekly News Briefs
e-Update is distributed
weekly to keep faculty and staff at the University of Miami School of Medicine
up-to-date on news at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
To submit news for publication, e-mail items to update@med.miami.edu.
THIS WEEK'S NEWS
--Procedures for Patient Information Disposal Outlined in HIPAA Continuing
Series
--Dr. Adam Wanner Honored as Distinguished Faculty Scholar
--City of Miami Settlement Allows for Refund of Parking Surcharge
--Analytical Imaging Core Facility Now Available to School of Medicine Faculty
--Note New Location of Oral and Maxillofacial Dental Office
--Sign Up for Service Delivery Retreat at UM/Sylvester Spring Fling
--Upcoming Calendar Events
HIPAA GUIDELINES FOR PROPER
DISPOSAL OF PATIENT INFORMATION
When in doubt, shred it. Protecting UM patient information that is used and
disclosed to others is important. Do not assume that information thrown away
is safe from unintentional use. In Rapid City, SD, a medical student took home
copies of patients’ psychiatric records to work on a project. When he
finished, he threw them out in a dumpster, and they were found and given to
a newspaper reporter.
It is important to shred all patient information on paper before discarding
it. If your work area does not include a shredder, call Carmen Oliva of the
Purchasing Office at 305-243-3666 to obtain contact information for UM-preferred
shredding companies.
Proper disposal of information in electronic format is also critical. Information
that has been deleted, erased, or reformatted can be retrieved. Property Surplus
is equipped to properly dispose of computer hard drives. If you need to dispose
of CD-roms, floppy disks, hand-held devices, zip drives, etc., e-mail the Privacy
Office at privacy@med.miami.edu for
secure disposal guidance.
UNIVERSITY HONORS DISTINGUISHED
FACULTY SCHOLAR DR. ADAM WANNER
Faculty are invited to join the Faculty Senate in honoring Adam Wanner, M.D.,
2003 recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award, at a ceremony on
April 2, 4 p.m., in the Storer Auditorium at the School of Business on the
University’s Coral Gables campus. Wanner will present “COPD, A
Global Problem in Search of a Solution.”
PARKING SURCHARGE FROM SEPTEMBER 1999
TO SEPTEMBER 2002 WILL BE REFUNDED
The City of Miami imposed a 20 percent surcharge on all parking facilities
located within the City of Miami, pursuant to a Florida statute enacted in
1999. The constitutionality of the statute was challenged in court, and after
extensive litigation, a settlement was reached. The settlement establishes
a procedure to request a refund for amounts paid from September 1, 1999, through
September 30, 2002. If you paid the surcharge for parking through University
payroll deduction at the medical center between September 1, 1999, and September
30, 2002, you will receive a memo from the University Parking Office, a claim
form, and receipt to submit to the Parking Surcharge Litigation Fund. Your
receipt will not reflect any charges from September 1999 through February 2000,
as the School of Medicine paid the surcharge on your behalf. To lessen the
burden on some employees, the Dean’s Office authorized payment of the
surcharge by the University for those earning less than $35,000 annually. These
employees did not pay the surcharge and are not entitled to claim a refund.
The statute was amended, and the parking surcharge remains in effect after
September 30, 2002. You may review the website at http://www.miamisurcharge.com or
call the parking office at 305-243-6280, option 2.
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OPENS CORE
FACILITY FOR ANALYTICAL IMAGING
The University of Miami Analytical Imaging Core Facility is now available for
use by School of Medicine researchers. Located on the sixth floor of the Diabetes
Research Institute, the core is equipped with sophisticated confocal microscopy
instruments for imaging and analysis of tissues and live cells. This equipment
allows for multi-label fluorescence, motion analysis, and co-localization studies.
The core also includes a laser dissection microscope for use on tissue structures
or single cells from tissue sections, and it can be used to extract RNA, DNA,
or proteins for further studies. Core staff will assist users with scheduling,
access, training, usage, and troubleshooting core equipment. For a complete
list of instruments and fees or to schedule usage of the facility, contact
Beata Frydel, Ph.D., core supervisor, at 305-243-8042 or b.frydel@miami.edu;
or core staff member Brigitte Shaw at 305-243-5014 or bshaw@med.miami.edu.
You also may request e-mail updates.
ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL DENTAL
OFFICE RELOCATES ON CAMPUS
The dental office of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is relocating
from its current space in UM/Sylvester to Dominion Parking Garage, 1051 NW
14th Street, Suite 150. During relocation, the office will be closed April
4 – 21. The dental office phone number will stay the same: 305-243-5196.
Regular business hours, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., will resume
on April 22.
SIGN UP AT UM/SYLVESTER SPRING
FLING FOR SERVICE TRAINING RETREATS
All UM healthcare professionals (including faculty and clinical and administrative
staff) are encouraged to register during the UM/Sylvester 2003 Spring Fling,
April 16, 2 to 4 p.m., for one of the Skills for Service Delivery Retreats.
Objectives of the service retreats are to describe the need for service improvement
in healthcare; to help you identify and meet customer needs and expectations;
and to apply essential service actions in everyday interactions. Participants
can select any of the following full-day retreat days: April 15 and 22, May
6, 9, and 20. Retreats are conducted at the Professional Development
and Training Office, Dominion Parking Garage, Suite 155, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Seating is limited to 25 participants
per session. For more information about service retreats contact Maria Perez
at 305-243-5273 or mperez14@med.miami.edu.
QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPLIANCE?
TWO UM HELPLINES CAN ASSIST YOU
Research integrity concerns? Report concerns regarding research integrity and
adherence to federal or University regulations directly to the Office of the
Vice Provost for Research at 305-243-6415, or you can call the University's
toll-free, anonymous compliance hotline at 866-YOURCALL. Medicare and billing
concerns? Address questions to Third Party Reimbursement/Office of Compliance
at 305-243-HELP or 877-415-HELP. For information about this helpline or training
programs offered by the compliance office, contact Gemma Romillo at 305-243-5842.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
LECTURE TO ADDRESS PROTECTION
OF SPINAL CORD FOLLOWING INJURY
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis continues the Gail F. Beach Memorial Visiting
Lectureship Series with “Neuroprotection of the Injured Spinal Cord:
From Molecule to Man,” presented by Michael G. Fehlings, M.D., director
of the Spinal Program at Toronto Western Hospital and professor of surgery
at the University of Toronto. Fehlings is a recognized leader in the study
of secondary injury mechanisms that contribute to damage following spinal cord
injury. His early work focused on vascular mechanisms of secondary injury.
In the last several years Fehlings has identified the roles of sodium and potassium
channels in white matter injury; a possible link between axonal injury and
apoptosis of myelinating cells; and neuropathology and associated pathomechanisms
of chronic spondylotic myelopathy in patients. His lecture will be held April
2, noon, in the James A. Batten Apex Center, located on the seventh floor of
the Lois Pope LIFE Center. For more information, call 305-243-7108 or visit http://www.miamiproject.miami.edu/vls2003.pdf.
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH OF SPINAL CORD
INJURY HIGHLIGHTED AT CAMPUS COURSE
Experts will discuss the movement of innovations from the laboratory to the
clinic for treatment of spinal cord injury at the American Spinal Injury Association
seminar “Translational Research and Spinal Cord Injury: Avoiding Potential
Pitfalls,” April 3, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the James A. Batten Apex Center,
located on the seventh floor of the Lois Pope LIFE Center. The Miami Project
to Cure Paralysis, the VA Rehab R&D Center of Excellence in Functional
Recovery and Chronic SCI, and the South Florida Model SCI System bring you
this informative course, which will present state-of-the-art models for neuroprotection
and neural regeneration. Miami Project Ambassador Marc Buoniconti will make
a special appearance. For more information or to register, call 305-243-4739
or visit http://www.asia-spinalinjury.org/annualmeeting/index.html.
VISITING CLINICIAN-SCIENTIST TO DISCUSS
APPLICATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
The UM Ethics Programs present the latest installment of the Dialogues in Research
Ethics lecture series with “Clinical Trial(s) and Error: Acquiring and
Applying Evidence,” April 4, noon to 1 p.m., at the Veterans Affairs
Medical Center, Room 207. Peter Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., senior resident of internal
medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston University, will
discuss clinical guidelines and the distinction between the generation and
application of scientific knowledge. Lunch will be provided. For more information,
call 305-243-5723 or e-mail ethics@miami.edu.
UM/SYLVESTER LECTURE COVERS
HEAD AND NECK CANCER AWARENESS
In recognition of Head and Neck Cancer Week, the UM/Sylvester Education Department
presents “What You Need to Know About Head and Neck Cancer for Your Patients,
Family, and Yourself.” Penny Fisher, M.S., R.N., will give the lecture
on April 8, 8 to 9 a.m., in UM/Sylvester Conference Room 1301. One nursing
contact hour has been approved for this event. Breakfast will be provided.
To reserve your space, call Lisa at 305-243-9192 by noon on April 7.
WALK FOR HOPE TO BENEFIT
NATIONAL PARKINSON FOUNDATION
Step up and make a difference at the Parkinson Walk for Hope, with proceeds
to benefit the National Parkinson Foundation. This 5K walk/run will be held
April 12 at Bayfront Park in Miami. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the
race will kickoff at 10 a.m. To register, call 305-243-2985 or 800-327-4545.
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