Minutes of the Council Meetings >>

2003-2004  (FY04) MEDICAL SCHOOL COUNCIL
Dr. John Clarkson, Chair

MINUTES

Medical School Council Meeting - Tuesday, February 24, 2004 (These minutes were approved at the Speaker’s Meeting of the School Council held on April 20, 2004). Members absent were: Drs. Fishbain, Fletcher, King, Namias, Sipski. The meeting was called to order at 5:09 p.m.

1. BASIC SCIENCE DEPARTMENTS: Dr. Lopez asked for information on the proposed reorganization of the School’s basic science departments. Dr. Clarkson responded that he met with faculty of these departments and pointed out that reorganization of these departments was a recommendation of the Council’s Research Task Force in its report submitted approximately four years ago. He reported that faculty with primary appointments in these departments suggested that basic science faculty be members of the newly formed ad hoc committee that is providing advice. He said that he agreed with and enacted this recommendation.

Dr. Carraway said that he discussed the meeting with faculty who had attended and believed that they continue to be unclear about the process. Dr. Clarkson said that a committee is being convened by facilitators (Drs. Bookman, O’Connell and Ricordi) but that the recommendations from this committee will be faculty driven. He said that a consultant is being asked to help the committee make its recommendations which will be brought to him for review. He assured the Council that he has no preconceived ideas and that he is open to the recommendations of the advisory committee.

2. CREATION OF A DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL THERAPY: Dr. Lopez expressed a concern that the School is considering the creation of a new department that will be, at least in part, a basic science department while there is a proposal to consolidate the other basic science departments. Dr. Clarkson answered that we should not presume what the recommendations will be on the basic science departments. He observed that other schools have not consolidated their basic science departments but have created departments that are different in scope than those at UMSM.

Dr. Mian reminded the Council that creation of a Department of Physical Therapy was approved in a prior Council meeting. Dr. Lopez added that this approval occurred before it was known that a reorganization of the basic science departments is being considered. Dr. Awad expressed that these are separate issues and that the Physical Therapy Department should be considered on its own merits.

Dr. Lopez stated that the creation of a Physical Therapy Department should be more carefully considered since it is unclear whether this new department will be included as a basic science or clinical department or whether it will be involved in any changes that occur among the current basic science departments. Dr. Lewis answered that the Council has already voted on the Physical Therapy Department and believed that no further action is required unless there are concerns raised by recommendations of the committee advising on the basic science departments.

3. FACULTY CLUB: Dr. Lewis reported that he met with the architects planning the faculty club to be housed within the Sewell Building. He said that a first priority is to conduct a survey to determine the level of faculty support for the club to confirm that the necessary support will be forthcoming. This survey will also help determine what kind of dining facilities are needed and the hours of operation. Mr. Deeley informed the Council that Mr. Iacino from the Dean’s Office is already working on the survey and will distribute it shortly but he said that faculty volunteers are needed and that Council input will be helpful. He said that business plans are being made that will address issues such as zoning and handicap access and he assured that these plans will be brought to the Council.

Dr. Lewis continued that the faculty club should become a focus for academic activity and that Council should be advocates for this. He thanked the School administration for working with the Council and for moving this project forward so rapidly. Drs. Lewis, Ahmad and Younis volunteered to work with the Mr. Iacino and the administration to construct the faculty survey.

4. CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: Dr. Clarkson told the Council that the School is working on several large gifts but he cannot make announcements yet. Dr. Baumbach said that she, Dr. Lewis, Dean Emeritus Fogel and others are making presentations to the academic departments. She said that she attended a presentation in the Department Pediatrics which was excellent. Campaign leaders are emphasizing 100% faculty participation and how faculty can encourage other donors. She urged Council member to assure that these meetings are being scheduled in their departments.

Dr. Fishman noted that the 50th anniversary book and CD are being mailed to all faculty.

5. CHAIR SEARCHES: Clarkson said that there is one active search which is in Psychiatry where a candidate has been recommended by the search committee and department. He said that the candidate has made a proposal and we are responding to that proposal.

6. HOSPITAL ACQUISITION: Mr. Deeley reported that a study is underway to determine whether it is feasible to explore a relationship with the Mt Sinai Medical Center on Miami Beach. He said that two important considerations will be whether the deal makes good buisiness and academic sense and whether any arrangement will increase revenue to support the School’s academic programs. He explained that consultants have been retained by the School who are now meeting with School leaders, faculty and Trustees and with the leaders of Mt Sinai. However, he emphasized that we are at least 2-3 weeks away from making any conclusions and that efforts to date are truly exploratory and are only asking whether there is even the potential for an arrangement with Mt Sinai.

Dr. Mian asked whether these efforts constitute the feasibility study describe by Dr. Clarkson at a prior Council meeting. Dr. Clarkson confirmed that this is the situation. Dr. Awad asked whether the School will invest its money in any arrangement with Mt Sinai. Dr. Clarkson said that the business part of the deal will be informed by the legal considerations that will protect the School and the University. While Mount Sinai has a large debt, they also have a foundation that has accumulated almost $100 million. He continued that there are few details available on any arrangement but that we will only enter into a relationship with Mt Sinai if it is satisfactory to the School and only if there is assurance that it will ultimately support our academic missions.

Dr. Lewis asked whether private physicians will work in the same facility with UM faculty if a relationship with Mt Sinai is enacted. Dr. Clarkson answered that to make any affiliation/merger work, it is important that the physicians currently at Mount Sinai continue to admit their patients to the hospital and that we seek opportunities to increase the admissions to the hospital by our own faculty. He observed, however, that this will be a complex situation and could create an insurance concern since many of the Mount Sinai physicians are not covered by malpractice insurance. Dr. Lewis agreed that problems are complex with an example being the fact that in Anesthesiology, UMSM physicians and Mount Sinai physicians each practice within a group. Nevertheless, he supported exploring the feasibility of a relationship.

Dr. Younis asked about the real estate value of Mt Sinai. Dr. Clarkson answered that the hospital sits on 55 acres but that this land is zoned for hospital/health care. Dr. Lopez asked whether we could rent space from Mt Sinai and thereby separate the malpractice problems between the two institutions. Dr. Clarkson assured that we are looking at all options.

7. MALPRACTICE RELIEF: Dr. Awad asked about the chances that the Florida Legislature will approve malpractice relief for UMSM. Dr. Clarkson responded that he is meeting with JMH leaders and with state senators and representatives but he believed that it will be an uphill battle in the Florida Senate. He explained that the goal was to ask for sovereign immunity for state funded and unfunded patients seen by UM faculty at JMH. However, legislators said that this would not be approved and that UM should ask for sovereign immunity for all of its JMH patients.

Dr. Bishopric observed that the Miami Herald has not been favorable to providing UM with malpractice relief at JMH and she said that this has been reported on National Public Radio. Dr. Clarkson explained that there are only five medical schools with relationships to public hospitals that are similar to ours with JMH. At the other four schools, the hospital takes responsibility for the physicians who are working in that hospital. We are the only private medical school working with a public hospital that does not have some protection from malpractice. He noted that there is a critical difference between UM and the other schools in that the latter admit only a few of their private patients into the public hospital. In contrast, we admit most of our private patients into JMH.

Dr. Clarkson noted that there is precedent for private practitioners to be covered by sovereign immunity from the State of Florida. For example, private physicians who provide healthcare to college athletes have such immunity. He said that achieving sovereign immunity protection is an evolving process and that we need to make the case to political leaders that sovereign immunity is needed by UMSM we are serving patients at JMH.

Dr. Lewis asked about a proposal to transfer UM physicians to part-time employment at JMH. Dr. Clarkson answered that this topic has been included in on-going discussions about changing the definition of a hospital patient to address the malpractice issue. He explained that under the present affiliation agreement with JMH, faculty act as agents of the Public Health Trust. A goal would be to extend that agency not only to unfunded patients but to other state patients. This approach has the possibility of avoiding putting UM faculty on the JMH payroll. He added that employment transfers would involve complex issues such as benefits, faculty voting rights and other privileges.

Dr. Thurer asked about the other state medical schools. Dr. Clarkson said that the other schools are state institutions and receive sovereign immunity for all patients. He continued that we are making legislators aware of the importance of UMSM to the State such as that 30% of the Medicaid care in Florida occurs at our medical center.

8. SCHOOL COUNCIL: The next Speaker's Meeting of the School Council will be held Tuesday, March 16, 2004 at 5 p.m in room 1537 of the Sylvester Cancer Center. The next Dean's Meeting will be on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 at 5 p.m in the Sylvester Cancer Center, Room 1301. These meetings are open to all faculty, as are all Council meetings. The meeting was adjourned at 6:18 p.m.

Myron Rosenthal, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Professional Affairs