Q&A

Today, I’ll respond to a few of the comments and questions you’ve sent to me through the VC Notes inbox. I appreciate and read all your submissions and each one gets sent to the appropriate Medical Center leader.

Q: My UMMC PCP thought I should have a bone density test done but told me that UMMC could no longer provide that test because we do not have technologists any longer. I had to schedule this test at another local hospital. This makes me sad; I would prefer to keep my care here at UMMC. Is there a plan to recruit and hire these positions so that we can provide this service to our patients?

A: A plan is in the works to restart this service when we begin patient care operations in leased space in the office building under construction in Ridgeland on the south side of Colony Park Boulevard, adjacent to the interstate. I mentioned this new facility – UMMC Colony Park South – a couple of weeks ago in VC Notes.

Several departments will provide services in the building including some procedure and infusion clinics. Two DEXA machines are planned to be located there, making bone density testing available once again.

Q: Would it be possible to have mirrors installed in Parking Garage D? It is a very busy parking garage and mirrors at the turns would certainly make it safer.

A: Yes. A recent test run of some mirrors in Garage D proved they can be useful, but what we had were too small. Four 18-inch mirrors were installed but were found to be too small for drivers to see oncoming traffic. We have ordered 36-inch mirrors to again pilot their effectiveness but will have to be thoughtful about where they are placed so they provide enough overhead clearance. If they prove helpful, we will look to make them a permanent addition to the garage.

Q: My staff member's shift starts at 8:30 a.m., but she has been repeatedly informing me that Groome Transportation has only been running one bus at that time for the past few months. She is not the only one I have heard this from as well. The morning shift from 7-9 a.m. is a high arrival time, and this is causing issues for us. Can you suggest any solutions to improve the transportation service?

A: I checked with Facilities Services, which manages our relationship with Groome, and have been assured that there are multiple shuttle options serving the stadium lots during the peak morning hours, 7-9 a.m.

The image below shows the number of shuttles for each of the four shuttle lines. Each has two or more shuttles in service during peak hours.

After I reached out about this question, Facilities looked at statistics from the shuttle tracking system to confirm there weren’t instances where shuttles were missing stops or going off route. No recent anomalies were found, but if routine auditing of these data reveal that there needs to be an adjustment in a shuttle’s schedule or route, it will be made.

I don’t know this employee’s work location, but it may be helpful if they make sure to park near a pick-up location for the line that drops them off as close as possible to where they work. Full details on each of the shuttle lines, where they pick up and drop off, which stadium parking zone is optimal for each line and links to the shuttle tracking app for desktop and mobile can be found on the internet here. If you have additional questions about shuttles, please email parking@umc.edu.

In addition to busy shuttles, vehicle and pedestrian traffic are greater in the morning, so it may be necessary to allot extra time for parking and some waiting at the shuttle stop.

Q: If a cost-of-living raise is given, will other UMMC locations other than Jackson benefit from this?

Q: Is there any way to know if cost-of-living increases are being considered towards employee salaries? It's no secret the economy is constantly up and down and I'm just curious to know if UMMC will recognize this and adjust to this change regarding employee compensation as well.

A: I get several questions like these in the VC Notes inbox. I picked these two for today’s column, but they are just representative of the many types of compensation questions many of you have. I responded to one in VC Notes earlier this month, but today I’ll go a little deeper in my response.

While we are not doing across-the-board pay increases, I’ve said on a few occasions that we are working to establish funds in next fiscal year’s budget that can be used for a couple of compensation increase programs, one for market adjustments and one merit based. Achieving the ability to budget for market and merit adjustments in FY25 depends on two things – finishing this current year (FY24) out strong and hitting our FY25 budget targets.

Even before FY25 begins on July 1, we’ve identified some job profiles (market-based position reviews occur year-round) that are eligible for adjustments this fiscal year based on market data, turnover frequency, recruitment challenges, funds availability and input from leaders. These mid-year adjustments target roughly 2,300 employees in specific positions that are the furthest out of market. Managers started getting information about this initiative this week and will be able to communicate to any impacted employees next month.

Then, after the next fiscal year starts and as funding allows, we will implement market adjustments more broadly impacting those job profiles that are determined to be in need of adjustments. No timetable on these actions is set.

Additionally, in the next fiscal year and based on budget, we are planning for the availability of money that can be distributed for merit-based compensation enhancements. These pay increases will have a link to results of this year’s employee performance evaluations. When managers conduct evaluations in May and June, they will not yet know if they will receive any budget for merit-based raises. Managers must conduct evaluations solely based on an employee’s performance – which should always be considered a best practice – looking back to Jan. 1, 2023.

Please note that previous year’s performance scores will not be factored in, so employees or managers shouldn’t try to make comparisons to past scores. This year’s employee evaluation process and system are completely different than in the past and do not compare to historical evaluations.

And, yes, this compensation methodology will be applied to eligible employees at all UMMC locations. 

Thanks for these questions and the dozens of others that you’ve sent me over the past several weeks. Keep them coming!

I’ll end today’s column with a call to action: It’s spring-cleaning time!

Now is a good time to take a few minutes to clean up and declutter personal and shared workspaces. Appearances matter, and professional-looking environments showcase our institution as a high-quality academic medical center. As we all work together to place the Medical Center in a positive light, we get one step closer to our goal of A Healthier Mississippi.