January 12, 2007

MGH Fertility Center offers
patients hope

Since 1992, the MGH Fertility Center has offered a complete range of fertility services, including the most advanced assisted reproductive technologies. As one of the most successful fertility programs in the United States, the Fertility Center and its patients have among the highest pregnancy rates in the country. As a reflection of its commitment to safety, the center also has among the lowest rates of high-order multiple births. In the past year, members of the MGH leadership have collaborated with the Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology staff in the shared goal of expanding the program, increasing capacity and fine-tuning operations.

Peter L. Slavin, MD, MGH president, and Dan Ginsburg, Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO) president and chief operating officer, endorsed the Fertility Center's plans. Says Isaac Schiff, MD, chief of the MGH Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, "We received tremendous support from Peter Slavin, Dan Ginsburg and hospital leadership on all fronts. They saw an opportunity to expand services for couples grappling with infertility and supported us every step of the way."

The center recently moved to a new and larger state-of-the-art facility on the tenth floor of the Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care, enabling the center to serve additional patients. Under the leadership of Schiff, and Fredric Frigoletto, Jr., MD, associate chief, several initiatives to expand services to patients and increase volume were put into place. Chief among these efforts were operational improvements and strategic marketing initiatives.

To raise the visibility of the Fertility Center throughout the region, a comprehensive
marketing plan was crafted. Its scope included a competitive analysis, physician and consumer market research and a strategy to communicate with both consumers and physicians in the community.

"Our goal was to let couples know that the MGH Fertility Center is a valuable resource, offering the most advanced technology nestled in a program that is highly personal, responsive not only to individualized clinical needs, but also to the psychosocial issues associated with infertility," says Frigoletto.

In addition to marketing the center's services, operational improvements were put into place. Christine Primiano, director of MGH Ambulatory Consulting Services, oversaw the operations improvement initiative and worked closely with the Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service's John Petrozza, MD; Thomas Toth, MD; Linda Kelly, RN; and Nancy Sousa, RN, to implement these changes quickly and effectively. The enhancements included the standardization of the medical record, conversion to an electronic medical record and a new team-based staffing model.

"As a result of the extraordinary support we received from both the hospital's Ambulatory Consulting Services and Marketing, our Fertility Center is helping a record number of couples achieve their dream of having a family and receiving care that is efficient and seamless," says Schiff.

The Fertility Center was created through support from the Vincent Board of Trustees. Over the past 15 years the center has been in the forefront of advances in reproductive medicine. Among the services offered are preimplantation genetic diagnosis for detection of diseases prior to pregnancy, single embryo transfer eliminating multiple births, cryopreservation of embryos and mind/body programs. The center has taken a leadership role in researching cryopreservation of the human egg, which would provide young women undergoing chemotherapy or radiation a way to remove their eggs and preserve them before being affected by cancer therapy.