April 2, 2004

Contact Center picks up the PACE with new employees

In early December, employees of the hospital's centralized contact center, the RRC (Registration and Referral Center), set out to accomplish a tough but important task — hiring a significant number of employees for the new center by the end of the year. Four months later, the task has been accomplished and the positive effects are being felt throughout the MGH community.

The RRC, located in Medford, is a part of the Patient Administrative Cycle Enhancement (PACE) project, which was introduced to the MGH in 2002. PACE is redesigning the outpatient administrative process, and providing enhanced technology to support the streamlined process, both of which should lead to a significant financial benefit to the hospital.

"The RRC staffers handle transferred calls from practice staff and verify patient insurance and demographic information, as well as process referrals in advance of patient visits," says Ali Burns, generalist for MGH Human Resources (HR).

The recruitment strategy focused on a partnership between HR and the RRC management team, coupled with the technology of Partner's on-line recruitment tool, Webhire. "The web-based application process allowed us to source and track candidates more effectively, thereby minimizing turnaround time for interviewing and hiring," says Burns. "RRC management met with all final candidates to conduct interviews and provide tours of the RRC, showcasing the bright, open layout and team-oriented atmosphere."

The outstanding efforts of the RRC and HR have paid off. The RRC ended the year with its planned complement of staff, the majority of whom work the phones. According to Burns, these employees have produced tremendous amounts of work — placing more than 76,000 outbound calls and processing more than 53,000 inbound calls from September to December. On average, all calls received were answered in 23 seconds — just under three rings.

According to Paul Nealey, director of the RRC, the teamwork among the participants remains solid. "I know we couldn't have hired these quality people over the last five months without the unwavering support and dedication of the HR team."