November 3, 2000

A group of 30 outpatient practice secretaries gathered Oct. 18 with their practice managers to celebrate the second year of the Outpatient Practice Support Essentials (OPSE) Coach/Mentor Program. The celebrants are all seasoned secretaries who were hand picked to train and support new practice secretaries to help increase retention and job satisfaction for a position that is often one of the most complex administrative jobs at the hospital.

Approximately 1.3 million patient visits occur in the outpatient practices each year, and the practice secretaries are on the front lines performing multiple duties, such as scheduling patients, answering the phone, completing insurance forms, organizing medical records and providing support to the practice physicians and clinical staff. They do all of this while presenting a cheerful demeanor to the patients who call and visit. The myriad tasks and demands can be daunting to a new secretary on the job.

According to Human Resources statistics, there was high turnover in these positions until OPSE and the coach/mentor program were created by the Practice Support Unit, Human Resources, the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization and Information Systems.

The program provides quarterly meetings for the mentors to network, exchange information and brainstorm solutions to common practice problems. A partnership with the Boston Private Industry Council also has been established to provide career development for the coach/mentors and other practice secretaries for the coming year.

For more information about the Outpatient Practice Support Essentials Coach/Mentor Program, call Stacey Houghton at 724-3311.

Mentor Lisa Vassallo of Urology, with Bob Seger,
administrative director of the Department of Urology.