May 11, 2001

When patients come to the MGH, one of their first encounters usually is with a member of MGH Admitting and Registration Services. It is the Admitting Department staff who make sure the admission process runs smoothly for the more than 37,000 inpatient admissions and more than 1 million outpatient visits to the MGH each year.

But what many in the MGH community may not know is that Admitting also is responsible for a host of other services, such as bed placement, patient registration and patient financial counseling, to name just a few. Essentially, Admitting Services affects every department in the hospital, in addition to patients and their families.

Members of the Admitting Week planning committee.

"Our staff members are the front-line people," explains Nancy Connery, director of the 95-employee department. "But we also are the behind-the-scenes people. Many staff in the department perform 'patient invisible' functions that help support a smooth entry into the MGH."

Connery and her staff aim to educate the MGH community about all of the Admitting Department's services during MGH Admitting Week, May 14 to 18.

Admitting Services has many duties to juggle. Because of higher-than-usual volume at the hospital, one of the most challenging tasks is placing each MGH patient on a patient care unit that is clinically appropriate for his or her care. Admitting staff continuously work to improve the patient flow process and to help patients access the medical services they need.

Admitting staff members also work with patients to sort through some of the complicated aspects of their hospital stays, such as dealing with finances and filling out paperwork.

Members of Admitting's Financial Access Unit serve as liaisons between patients, physicians and payors to confirm insurance information, ensure that appropriate referrals are made and counsel patients about financial issues.

Admitting staff members in Registration Services help patients register, either by phone or in person, and update all patient demographic and insurance information in PCIS. Admitting staff members from Scheduling make all hospital admission appointments, including inpatient care, observation stays and same-day surgery.

Admitting Patient Interviewers work closely with patients to orient them to their hospital stay and pre-admission testing and to educate them about aspects of their care, such as health care proxies, benefits forms and any releases of medical information. Staff members at the Admitting Main Desk also serve as ambassadors, handling inquiries from patients, families and internal departments.

For more information, visit the Admitting table in the Main Corridor May 16.