GME Communication and Liaison

Systems for Communication

Approximately 500 residents train in 48 programs within the College of Medicine. The educational environment  includes 5 major teaching hospitals and associated clinics. Communication about work environment and educational programs is very important but also difficult among such a large and dispersed group of individuals. In order to provide easy means for residents/fellows to communicate issues of concern about their educational environments and  programs, the following methods of communication are in place and are reviewed with residents/fellows annually:

Associate Dean for GME: James A. Clardy, M.D. is the current Associate Dean for GME. He is the designated official for GME in the College of Medicine. He has the authority and responsibility for oversight and administration of the residency/fellowship programs. Individuals and/or groups  may contact him to discuss issues related to their work environment and educational programs.

Program Directors: Monthly  program directors meet with the Associate Dean for GME and the Chair of the GME Committee to review and discuss issues related to the residency programs. Minutes are distributed to all program directors, chief residents and Resident Council members.

New Program Director Orientation:  Periodically, the Associate Dean for GME provides a session for newly appointed program directors to discuss various aspects of residency/fellowship education.

Program Coordinators: Monthly, program coordinators attend a Program Coordinator Organization meeting to discuss administrative issues and resource problems related to the required paperwork. Minutes are distributed to all program coordinators. Periodically, the Dean's office provides an educational orientation session for new program coordinators.

Housestaff Electronic Mail Distribution List: All members of the Resident Organization are part of an electronic e-mail distribution list located on the Global Directory- COM HS Group. This is one of the most important means of communication between the administration and the members of the Resident Organization. This is a protected distribution list with access limited to the Associate Dean for GME, the Director of Housestaff Records, and the Medical Director of University Hospital. The Medical Director provides weekly updates to all housestaff members about issues related to University Hospital. Periodically, Dr. Clardy and Mrs. McKay provide important information to the residents through this means.

Hard copy memos: Several times per year information about work environment and educational programs are distributed to all housestaff through hard copy memos. These memos are distributed by the program coordinators of the individual departments at the time of the monthly paycheck.

Resident Council: The Resident Council meets at least quarterly.  Discussions at these meetings are documented through minutes that are distributed to all members of the Resident Organization through the e-mail distribution list COM HS Group.

GME Committee: The Resident Organization is represented on all GME Committee subcommittees through its resident representatives. These subcommittees meet quarterly with discussions documented in minutes. The GME Committee meets approximately 5 times per year.

Meetings of the Resident Organization: The Chair of the Resident Council may call formal meetings of the resident body as necessary to discuss issues of concern about educational environment, work environment, support, or other issues. These meetings provide a forum for discussion so that recommendations can be made to the GME Committee. The meetings will be closed except for invited guests.

Method to Communicate and Resolve Issues of Concern
Each  program must have policies/procedures for residents/fellows to raise and resolve concerns in a confidential and protected manner. In general, when a resident/fellow has a concern, he/she should contact the chief resident or program director for discussion and resolution. If the issue cannot be resolved at this level, the resident should then contact a member of the Resident Council. The procedure for resolution will vary depending on the type of issue. For issues related to general work environment, the Resident Council may discuss the issue or arrange a meeting for the entire Resident Organization to discuss the issue and then submit recommendations to the GME Committee. For issues related to disciplinary action,  the procedure outlined in the GME Committee Policy on Disciplinary Action including Probation, Suspension and Dismissal will be followed. All proceedings that relate to an individual resident's concerns are confidential.

UAMS E-Mail Access & Usage Policy

A.    Privacy, Confidentiality and Public Records Considerations
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will make reasonable efforts to maintain the integrity and effective operation of its electronic mail systems (e-Mail), but users are advised that those systems should in no way be regarded as a secure medium for the communication of sensitive or confidential information. Because of the nature and technology of electronic communication, UAMS can assure neither the privacy of an individual’s use of UAMS electronic mail resources nor the confidentiality of particular messages and any documents attached to those messages that may be created, transmitted, received, or stored thereby.

B.  Permissible Uses of Electronic Mail
1.    Authorized Users: Only UAMS faculty, staff, and students and other persons who have received permission under the appropriate UAMS authority are authorized users of UAMS electronic mail systems and resources.

C.   Prohibited Uses
E-mail is the property of UAMS.  Prohibited uses of electronic mail include, but are not limited to:
1. Using for personal monetary gain or for commercial purposes that are not directly related to UAMS business.
2. Sending copies of documents in violation of copyright laws.
3. Including the work of others into electronic mail communications in violation of copyright laws.
4. Unapproved capturing and "opening" of another individual’s electronic mail except as required as part of assigned job duties for authorized employees to diagnose and correct delivery problems.
5. Using electronic mail to harass or intimidate others or to interfere with the ability of others to conduct University business (this includes chain-letters and/or "spamming", i.e., sending non-approved / non-solicited advertisements to other individuals on campus.)
6. Using electronic mail systems for any purpose restricted or prohibited by state and federal laws and regulations.
7. "Spoofing," i.e., constructing an electronic mail communication so it appears to be from someone else.
8. "Snooping," i.e., obtaining access to the files or electronic mail of others with no substantial University business purpose.
9. Attempting unauthorized access to electronic mail or attempting to breach any security measures on any electronic mail system, or attempting to intercept any electronic mail transmissions without proper authorization.
10. Broadcasting messages to "Everyone" within UAMS without prior permission from the UAMS e-mail administrator (see Section H below).

D.  Inclusion of Health Information in Electronic Communications
1. Identifiable patient health care information should not be included unless it is for treatment, payment or health care operations. All reasonable efforts should be used to minimize the personal history necessary to accomplish the intended purpose of the communication. (Non-identifiable health information can be defined as information that does not directly reveal the identity of the patient.)

3. Under no circumstances should identifiable health care information be released to any outside entity without authorization of the individual.

E.  UAMS Access and Disclosure of Communications
To the extent permitted by law, UAMS reserves the right to access and disclose the contents of faculty, staff, students', and other users' electronic mail without the consent of the user. UAMS will do so when it believes it has a legitimate business need including, but not limited to, those listed in paragraph A.7. (below), and only after explicit authorization is obtained from the appropriate UAMS authority (see Section F below).

2. Electronic mail of students may constitute "education records" subject to the provisions of the federal statute known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). UAMS may access, inspect, and disclose such records under conditions that are set forth in the statute.

3. Any user of UAMS electronic mail resources who makes use of an encryption device to restrict or inhibit access to his or her electronic mail must provide access to such encrypted communications when requested to do so under appropriate UAMS authority.

4. UAMS will not monitor electronic mail as a routine matter but it may do so to the extent permitted by law as UAMS deems necessary for purposes of maintaining the integrity and effective operation of UAMS electronic mail systems.

5. Limitations on Disclosure and Use of Information Obtained by Means of Access or Monitoring: The contents of electronic mail communications, properly obtained for UAMS purposes, may be disclosed without permission of the user. UAMS will attempt to limit disclosure of particular communications if disclosure appears likely to create personal embarrassment, unless such disclosure is required to serve a business purpose or satisfy a legal obligation.

6. Special Procedures to Approve Access to, Disclosure of, or Use of Electronic Mail Communications: Individuals needing to access the electronic mail communications of others, to use information gained from such access, and/or to disclose information from such access and who do not have the prior consent of the user must obtain approval in advance of such activity from the appropriate UAMS authority. The request for approval shall take into consideration ways to minimize the time and effort required to submit and respond to requests, the need to minimize interference with UAMS business, and protection of the rights of individuals. The request for granting access to electronic communications is provided in Section F below.

7. UAMS will inspect and disclose the contents of electronic mail in accordance with the established approval process (see section F below).  Such action will be taken as necessary; to include:

1. To respond to legal processes or fulfill UAMS obligations to third parties,
2. in the course of an investigation triggered by indications of misconduct or misuse,
3. as needed to protect health and safety,
4. as needed to prevent interference with the academic, clinical or research missions of the organization,
5. as needed to locate substantive information required for UAMS business, or
6. as required under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

F. Procedure for Granting Approval to Access Electronic Communication of Others
1. The following information will be required prior to approval of access to electronic communications addressed to others:
a. name and title of the person whose communications will be accessed;
b. name and title of the person who is requesting access;
c. name and title of the person who will do the accessing:
d. detailed description of why the access is needed:
e. required duration of the access or dates within which access is desired:
f. what will be done with the accessed messages?  With whom will they be shared?
2. Anyone may request access of messages through the UAMS Computer Help Desk. The following approvals are required.
a. department Chairpersons and Unit Directors are the first level of approval;
b. Deans or Vice Chancellors are the final level of approval
3. The IT Security Office will obtain appropriate approval and will maintain copies of all requests.
4. The person requesting the access will be given the following advice and reminders:
a. a reminder that concerns about fiscal misconduct or criminal activity should not be investigated by individuals or departments, but should be referred to University Police, Hospital Compliance, or Internal Audit staff.
b. a reminder that the contents of electronic communications obtained after appropriate authorization may be disclosed without the permission of the employee.  At the same time, UAMS will attempt to refrain from disclosure of particular messages if disclosure could create personal embarrassment, unless such disclosure is required to serve a business purpose or satisfy a legal obligation.

G.  Retention & Storage of e-Mail
E-Mail servers are backed up completely on a daily basis. Those backup tapes are retained in secure storage for 30 days in the event of a complete network server failure. The e-mail backup and recovery system is intended to provide a means of recovery from failure of an entire e-mail server or e-mail storage device. Routine recovery capabilities and procedures do not include a capacity to recover e-mail of a specific user. Email recovery procedures will not be used to recover specific e-mail messages except where necessary to satisfy a legal obligation or in other exceptional circumstances.

H.  E-mail Site Messages
Site messaging is a tool used for campus e-mail alerts and notifications that are directed to the entire campus or a select group (i.e., Department Heads, Business Managers). These notifications are restricted and may ONLY be sent by the e-mail administrator. Messages must also have prior approval before delivery of the site message is transmitted by the email system. To request sending of a site message:

I.  Disciplinary Action
Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against individuals found to have engaged in prohibited use of UAMS electronic mail resources.

J.  E-Mail Etiquette
When you send e-mail, remember these points:

1. Don’t say anything in an e-mail that you wouldn’t say in a letter on your office letterhead. E-mail should contain appropriate language and be rational, reasonable and respectful.
2. E-mails are admissible in court and deleting a message is not a guarantee that the message cannot be retrieved. Communication should be done within a framework that does not constitute negligence or willful disregard of harmful consequences that might ensue to the institution and its employees.
3. Be aware of the difference between reply and reply-all. Assure that your communication is sent to the proper individual(s) - not inadvertently sent to someone that has no need for the information, or is adversely affected by the communication.
4. E-mail is not a forum to discuss significant events, opinions affecting health care in the institution, lengthy debates or arguments.
5. Employee disciplinary actions are not appropriately sent through e-mail
6. Chain letters are junk mail, and are not appropriate for business e-mail.  Do not forward or reply to chain letters.
7. Use common sense when writing e-Mail.  Ask yourself if this is appropriate to send before you hit the SEND button.

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Date this page was last edited 07/03/07