MUSC board receives reports on challenges, growth and exceeding expectations in fiscal year 2021  

In mid-August, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) Board of Trustees held their regularly scheduled committee and board meetings. With the June 30 close of fiscal year 2021, MUSC administrators shared data on its operations, financial position and continued growth, all unfolding during the constant ebb and flow of the COVID-19 pandemic. To support appropriate public health precautions, in-person attendance at the two days of committee and board meetings was limited to presenters and other designated participants.

“Even with the backdrop of this ongoing pandemic, which has adversely affected so many lives, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the remarkable work beyond COVID that our providers and team members across the state have accomplished,” said MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS. “In a year when there seem to be new obstacles constantly strewn in our path, MUSC team members have risen to the ongoing challenges. We’ve employed innovative thinking and high-impact actions to achieve a tide of transformational accomplishments for our patients, colleagues and communities.”

“Even during challenging times like this, healthy, forward-looking organizations must continue to grow,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., CEO of MUSC Health and vice president for Health Affairs, University. “Our recently completed acquisition in the Midlands is a testament to the solid footing of our hospital system and its affiliated facilities. We remain committed to serving communities across the landscape of South Carolina and maintaining our best-in-class status as a destination for health care.”

The board also received reports on the progress of several projects already underway including:

• The Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and expanding both General ENT (ear, nose and throat) and Audiology into existing clinic space on Kiawah/Seabrook islands.
• Upfitting the existing Nexton Medical Office Building to expand Orthopedics and add Women’s Health services.
• Build out space for a Breast Clinic, expected to go live in December, and a Dental Clinic, with an anticipated opening in April 2022, at the West Ashley Medical Pavilion.
• Construction of the Sea Islands freestanding Emergency Department complete with helipad and a medical office building with prioritized clinics and telehealth flexibility.
• The status of construction for the MUSC Williamsburg-Lake City Hospital, which is expected to start seeing patients in January 2023.

Also, the board voted to approve filing three Certificate of Need (CON) applications to acquire three surgical robots to be located at MUSC Health Charleston, MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown and MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast. The CON documents will be filed with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), which must issue a CON before certain types of health care acquisitions, expansions and creation of new facilities are allowed.

“MUSC donors have contributed an amazing outpouring of support to our organization,” said Kate Azizi, vice president for Institutional Advancement. “For the fiscal year just ended in June, we raised more than $52.7 million in philanthropic support from a wide variety of donors. It is both heartening and humbling to know so many people recognize the importance of this institution and value the impact we have on our statewide community,” she noted.

In other business, the board voted to approve:

• Fiscal year 2022 budgets for the university and the clinical enterprise.
• The launch of a new five-semester program, the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling, to be administered by the College of Health Professions through a hybrid format of on-campus and virtual learning. Fall 2023 is the proposed date for enrollment of the first class.

The MUSC/MUHA Board of Trustees serve as separate bodies to govern the university and hospital, usually holding two days of committee and board meetings six times a year. For more information about the MUSC Board of Trustees, visit http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/leadership/board/index.html.