DEVELOPING THE CC OPERATING PLAN:
INSTITUTE INPUT

Institute Planning Meetings

Each winter the CC Director completes a series of planning meetings with individual Institutes. Attendees include: Clinical Directors, Scientific Directors, and Clinical Center senior administrative staff. Optional attendees include Institute Directors, Institute Branch Chiefs, and Clinical Center Department Heads. The purpose of these meetings is to:

• obtain Institute plans for use of Clinical Center resources in FY2000;
• learn about the Institute clinical research plans driving the resource needs;
• review key initiatives in the Clinical Center strategic plan; and
• elicit feedback from Institutes on the availability and quality of Clinical Center services.

CC Advisory Council

The Clinical Center Advisory Council (CCAC) consists of representation from the five major user Institutes (NCI, NIAID, NHLBI, NIMH, NINDS) as permanent members and three rotating members from the remaining Institutes (currently NEI, NIDCR, NIDDK). The CCAC meets biweekly with the Director, CC to provide ìusersî feedback and advice relating to management policy and strategic planning.

Medical Executive Committee

The Medical Executive Committee advises the Director, CC on clinical aspects of operations and develops policies governing standards of medical care in the CC. The Medical Executive Committee meets twice monthly. The group consists of clinical directors from each Institute and other senior clinical and administrative representatives.

What Are Institutes Telling Us?

Equity of Access to Services Is Important

With implementation of the new "school tax" funding model, Institutes are repeatedly questioning what should be funded by the Clinical Center versus individual Institute budgets. The Clinical Center must define explicitly the array of services it provides and work to achieve equity of access to these services across all Institutes.

Program Growth is Planned

For several years, decline in patient activity has been a cause for concern but currently many Institutes report plans to expand clinical research programs. The Clinical Center must provide the appropriate clinical, laboratory, and diagnostic services to support Institute protocols. Simultaneously, the Clinical Center must identify operational efficiencies to limit fiscal growth.

Accurate Management Data is Critical

In order to support an effective planning process and the identification of operational efficiencies, the Clinical Center must produce accurate and timely data related to resource utilization.

Clinical Research Infrastructure Can Be Improved

To support growth in the intramural clinical research program, boost morale among clinical investigators, and attract the "best and brightest" talent, Institutes need an optimal infrastructure for conducting clinical research (including patients, space, training, resources, and opportunities for collaboration). Standards for conducting clinical research must be developed and implemented.

Increased Demand for Selected Resources

Transfusion Medicine	Need for cell processing is growing due to new protocols (NCI: bone marrow; NIDDK: organ transplant; NIDCR: bone regeneration for ex vivo expansion).
Imaging Sciences	Institutes expressed the following additional imaging needs (NIAAA: increased time for PET and MRI studies; NIDCR: skeletal imaging, PET, CT, and MRI, bone densitometry, filmless radiology; NINDS and others: intraoperative imaging; NCI: PET scans).
Nursing	Many Institutes expressed need for additional clinical research nurse support.
Social Work	Many Institutes expressed need for expanded social work to provide support in such areas as care of ambulatory patients, discharge planning, and to help alleviate psychosocial burdens of disease.
Critical Care Medicine	Demand may increase due to allogeneic/solid organ transplants (NCI/NIDDK).