TO: NJMS-Faculty

FROM: Russell T. Joffe, M.D, Dean

I've recently hired consultants from the Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) Healthcare Group, to assist us in developing a plan to Prioritize & Realign Incentives through Missions & Excellence (PRIME 2005). This initiative is part of a nationwide program organized by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Our goal is to continue to build academic excellence on all levels of the School's mission while taking into account our strategic plans now and in the future. Our objective is to develop consistent, school wide measures of contribution by mission and, at the same time, manage our resources by developing a method of compensating our faculty which is more closely tied to contribution. As we move forward in the development of this project, I am asking each of you for your participation and support.

Several committees were formed and charged with assessing our current system of compensation methodologies and identifying department/division nuances. The Steering Committee is responsible for the overall direction of the project. This Committee will provide recommendations and advice to me during the course of the analysis. The Measures and Compensation Plan Design Team was charged with understanding the current trends in benchmarks and measures. They will provide recommendations to the Steering Committee and identify methods to consistently measure faculty productivity at the New Jersey Medical School. They will take into account the differences in competitive compensation by specialty, the diverse roles of faculty in our academic and clinical missions, and the varied mix of academic emphasis by department. Faculty effort surveys will provide them with a means of testing their measures against variable data. The Funds Flow Design Team was charged with understanding the current sources and uses of all funds. They will provide recommendations to the Steering Committee and identify methods to integrate the budget process with the School's mission and align faculty compensation with specific measures of contribution. They will identify funding sources to be used for incentives and rewards.

As you can see, there is no "standard" package. PRIME2005 is being developed specifically for the New Jersey Medical School. During the past few months consultants from the CSC Healthcare Group presented an overview of this project at a special Department Chairs Meeting. Since then, they have met informally with most of the Department Chairs "one-on-one" as a way to gain insight into each unique department setting. They have met, or are scheduled to meet, with various University and University Hospital administrators.

We are in the process of scheduling departmental presentations to give faculty members and administrators an overview of this initiative, and to give you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have. These presentations are being conducted by CSC, and I plan to attend as many as possible. I am requesting that each of you take the time to attend these meetings and share your perspective.

We must look to the future and address the competitive challenges facing all academic medical centers. Our continued dedication to excellence will require realigning our financial resources to remain competitive and to provide the necessary incentives and rewards to build on our accomplishments. Achieving the right balance in each of our missions will require your participation and cooperation.

Thank you.

Russell T. Joffe, M.D.
Dean, New Jersey Medical School