Mayo Clinic Rochester
Cardiovascular Diseases
Office Support Staff
Policies and Expectations
Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the
success
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Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................. 4
A.
Attendance and Timekeeping .......................................................... 5
A. Absence Control .......................................................................... 5
Who to Call: .................................................................................................................................................................... 5
When to Call: .................................................................................................................................................................. 5
A. Rest Breaks/Meal Breaks ............................................................... 6
Rest breaks: ................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Meal breaks: ................................................................................................................................................................... 6
A. Time Reporting ........................................................................... 6
B. Benefits Including Time Off ........................................................... 7
B. Blood Donation............................................................................ 7
B. Employment Interviews .................................................................. 7
B. Holidays ................................................................................... 7
B. Jury Duty/Court Appearances .......................................................... 7
B. Medical and Dental Appointments....................................................... 8
Procedure ........................................................................................................................................................................ 8
B. Paid Time Off ............................................................................ 8
Annual Vacation Request Process: ............................................................................................................................. 8
General: ........................................................................................................................................................................... 9
How to Request Time Off: .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Flextime: ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9
B. Seamless Coverage Expectations...................................................... 10
Providers ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Office coworkers & manager .................................................................................................................................... 10
Partner coverage expectations ................................................................................................................................. 10
C. Education and Training ............................................................... 11
C. Divisional Staff Meetings ............................................................. 11
C. HR Education and Development Offered Classes with on-line registration ....... 11
Procedure: ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11
C. New Employee Training/Medical Secretary Trainees ............................... 11
D. Employee Health ...................................................................... 11
D. Employee Assistance Program ......................................................... 11
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E. Employment ............................................................................ 12
E. Employment Status ..................................................................... 12
E. Length of Service Commitment ....................................................... 12
F. General ................................................................................ 12
F. Computer, Network, & Internet Use ................................................. 12
F. Confidentiality .......................................................................... 12
F. Dress & Decorum Policy ............................................................... 12
F. Mayo Clinic Access Identification Cards ............................................. 13
F. Pager, Cell Phone Use and Personal Phone Calls ..................................... 13
G. Safety and Security .................................................................. 13
H. Salary Administration ................................................................ 13
H. Overtime Provisions .................................................................... 13
H. Payroll Procedures ..................................................................... 13
Appendix Information ..................................................................... 14
Appendix A ................................................................................. 15
Telephone Service Essentials .................................................................................................................................. 15
Appendix B ................................................................................. 16
Outlook E-Mail Essentials ........................................................................................................................................ 16
Appendix C ................................................................................. 17
Cardiovascular Patient Letter Guidelines ............................................................................................................ 17
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Cardiovascular Diseases
Office Support Staff
Orientation Tool and Expectations
Introduction
It is the goal of the Cardiovascular Office Managers to support Mayo policies and
administer clear and consistent policy information. This document serves as an
additional orientation tool to Mayo Clinic and it outlines the Cardiovascular office
support staff expectations. This document is inclusive of only a portion of the Mayo
policy, and it is important to thoroughly review the complete Mayo Employee Policy
Manual (http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/index.html).
Service Expectations:
1. Treat coworkers as you would our patients—through courtesy, honesty, and
respect.
2. Acknowledge individuals who enter your area and offer assistance.
3. Professional conduct and business attire on Mayo Campus. Follow dress code
policies and wear identification badges at all times.
4. Telephone service essentials as required by the Cardiovascular Division.
5. Do not just meet but exceed expectations.
6. Lastly and most importantly—the needs of the patient comes first.
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A. Attendance and Timekeeping
A. Absence Control
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039613
Regular attendance at work is crucial for the delivery of quality patient care. While
the expectation is that employees work all of the shifts scheduled, unexpected
absences may occur.
If unexpected absences are excessive, the behavior will be addressed through the
Absence Control Policy (Attendance-Absence and Tardiness).
Who to Call:
Call the CV Absence Pager at 507-255-3382 between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m.
When to Call:
Unscheduled absences must be reported before scheduled start of shift.
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First and every working day absent, contact supervisor.
Third working day absent, it is required to also contact Employee Health Service
(284-3211).
All hours of unscheduled absences or tardies must be recorded regardless if the
time is made up (i.e. time codes 314, 267, 991, or 992). Phone calls via the
absence pager do not indicate supervisory approval, only notification of absence.
Requesting same-day PTO via the absence pager will be an unscheduled absence
(i.e. time code 314).
Unscheduled time may only be made up with supervisor’s approval.
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A. Rest Breaks/Meal Breaks
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039616
Rest breaks:
Staff may typically receive a 15-minute rest break during work periods of 4
consecutive hours.
 8-hour shift: two 15-minute rest breaks.
 Should be scheduled at a time appropriate for the work unit: morning breaks
begin at 9:00 a.m. and completed by 11:00 a.m.; afternoon breaks begin at 2:00
p.m. and completed by 3:30 p.m.

Coverage must be arranged with desk partners.
Meal breaks:
A minimum 30-minute meal break is to be taken if working a shift of greater than 7.5
hours. This allows an opportunity to break from the immediate work area and
promotes a healthy work environment.
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Break for meals during designated time: meal breaks begin at 11:00 a.m. with
the last person returning no later than 2:00 p.m.
Lunch breaks are to be taken away from individual’s work space, i.e.; break room,
outside, cafeteria, etc.
All personal business and telephone calls, including the use of cell phones, should
be conducted during break periods.
A. Time Reporting
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039618
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Staff members who are unable to swipe their hours should notify their
supervisor the same day regarding the in and out times.
Use timekeeping devices located nearest immediate office or use the WTK timestamp procedure (http://mayoweb.mayo.edu/findit/wtk_qr/320_ne_time_stamp.pdf)
Swipe in no earlier than 7 minutes prior to scheduled shift.
Staff are expected to be at work, ready to begin work with the computer on,
coat and lunch put away, and beverage in hand by scheduled start time.
Staff are required to take a meal break of at least 23 minutes per scheduled
shift for timekeeping purposes.
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Staff members are expected to work until the end of scheduled shift, but no
later than 7 minutes after scheduled shift.
Staff members are expected to review time cards, communicate changes to
their supervisor by 5 pm each Tuesday or the last day worked in that pay period,
and “approve” timecard electronically.
B. Benefits Including Time Off
B. Blood Donation
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039623
The supervisor must consider the effect on patient needs, unit staffing, and work
requirements. As with other requests for time off, the first responsibility is adequate
coverage of the work unit.
B. Employment Interviews
Personal interviews should be taken on employee’s own time (i.e. lunch hour, flexing,
PTO, or unpaid).
B. Holidays
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039661
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Mayo-recognized holidays include New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July,
Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Holidays may be taken as paid time away or unpaid time away. (NOTE: PTO does
not accrue when using unpaid time.)
B. Jury Duty/Court Appearances
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039626
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Please speak with your supervisor if you have been called for jury duty.
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B. Medical and Dental Appointments
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All appointments (including regular/ongoing appointments) should be scheduled
during non-working hours. If this is not possible, it is required that staff
preschedule time away to attend appointments and obtain approval to make up
time away by flexing work hours. If making up time, it must be:
 Within the same work week (Wed - Tues)
 Approved as directed by the supervisor
 Time off for appointments can be recorded as PTO or unpaid absence
The supervisor may require staff to change their work schedule or reschedule
the time away to attend the appointment to better accommodate the needs of
the work unit.
If the length of the appointment is more or less time than was expected, staff
may adjust their schedule accordingly to compensate (i.e. Scheduled Absence,
making up time). Time off for family member appointments should be recorded
as paid time off (PTO), unpaid absence, or flex per office guidelines.
If an employee requires ongoing appointments (e.g., therapy, counseling,
obstetric exams, etc.), the supervisor may require the employee to change
his/her work schedule or reschedule the appointments to better accommodate
the needs of the work unit.
Procedure
Submit the request to the work-unit specific absence calendar, discuss plan for flexing
time for appointments with supervisor directly, and arrange desk/phone coverage prior
to appointment absence.
B. Paid Time Off
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039662
Annual Vacation Request Process:
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Forms are due on February 1st
Approval based on:
 Previous year’s first request.
 Mayo seniority will be followed when reviewing requests.
 Wait lists will be utilized.
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General:
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Requests submitted after these times are granted on a first-come, first-served
basis.
Staff required to manage their PTO accounts to ensure adequate hours for time
off request. If adequate PTO has not accrued, staff is expected to adjust
requests to amount accrued or cancel requests.
Minimum PTO increment is 15 minutes, and the maximum PTO in one increment is
two weeks. Requests greater than two weeks will be reviewed on an individual
basis.
Maximum PTO approval for:
 Gonda 5-368 = 3 people away full day, another person leave at noon; 1-2
people may leave at 3 p.m.
 Gonda 6-411 = 3 people away full day, another person leave at noon; 1-2
people may leave at 3 p.m.
 Gonda 6-207 = 3 people away full day, another person may leave at 3 p.m.
 Mary Brigh 4-523 = 3 people away full day, another person may leave at noon
How to Request Time Off:
Staff is encouraged to submit requests for time off using the work-unit specific
absence calendar. Same-day requests should be communicated directly with the
supervisor/lead for approval and will be granted based on workload and staffing.
Flextime:
Cardiovascular staff are expected to work designated scheduled days and hours.
Flextime allows prescheduled variability in start and stop times on a given day to
better balance demands of work and personal life as workload/coverage allows.
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Employee enters all variations of schedule on office calendar
Schedule must be entered at least one day prior--start time cannot be
changed the morning of (needed to monitor tardiness)
Employee can flex up to 2 hours per shift and make it up; anything more than
this will require PTO
Employee can start as early as 7:00 a.m. (start time must be on the half hour,
i.e. 7:00 a.m., 7:30 a.m.) and work no later than 6:00 p.m.
Appointments/classes/PTO (requesting/giving back) still need
supervisory/lead approval
Within the same work week (Wed-Tues)
Approved by the work group
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Providers on assignment/desk need to be aware of changes as they occur
and notified as many days in advance as possible, followed by a reminder the
day before
B. Seamless Coverage Expectations
To provide seamless coverage when the secretary is away (PTO, flex time, day off),
please follow the steps below:
Providers
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Notify provider as many days in advance as possible and then follow up with a
verbal reminder 3 days before and 1 day before
Add an Outlook calendar reminder to provider’s calendar
Give the name of the secretary to contact in your absence along with the
phone number
Office coworkers & manager

Send an e-mail communication including
o Who phone is forwarded to
o Who MICS INBOX coverage is assigned to
o Where physicians/provider(s) is assigned
o Any pending items at desk
o Where desk notes are located (must be current)
Partner coverage expectations
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Manage referring physician letter spreadsheet
Incoming mail/Fed Ex—open and take care of
MICS InBox—followup/complete (if physician/provider away, ensure urgent
notifications are addressed)
Prescriptions
Faxes
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C. Education and Training
C. Divisional Staff Meetings
Employees are expected to attend regularly scheduled staff meetings and other
departmental meetings. If unable to attend, it is the employee’s responsibility to
check with a coworker and/or supervisor regarding what was discussed at the meeting
and what, if any, followup is necessary.
C. HR Education and Development Offered Classes with on-line registration
http://mayoweb.mayo.edu/hr-edcat/enroll.html
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Cardiovascular staff is expected to attend a minimum of one Mayo-offered internal
education class per calendar year.
Class must be work related.
Brown bag seminars not requiring registration may be taken on employee’s own time.
Procedure:
1.
Submit absence request for class attendance.
o Class time approved as workload allows.
2. Enroll in Mayo-offered classes via on-line enrollment
o Cancel registration on-line if unable to attend.
 Record time card code 104 (to include travel time, if appropriate).
C. New Employee Training/Medical Secretary Trainees
It is an expectation for all staff to participate in the training of new employees.
D. Employee Health
D. Employee Assistance Program
http://mayoweb.mayo.edu/employee-assistance/
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E. Employment
E. Employment Status
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039729
E. Length of Service Commitment
 1 year
 Shift/Hours: 8 am to 5 pm with a one-hour lunch
F. General
F. Computer, Network, & Internet Use
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039770
F. Confidentiality
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039771
Confidentiality is critical and is reviewed as part of Mayo’s annual integrity training.
Cardiovascular staff members should only access and share confidential information,
strictly on a need-to-know basis. Unauthorized access, use, or release of
confidential/sensitive information to unauthorized individuals is strictly prohibited and
may result in immediate disciplinary action up to and include termination.
In addition to general confidentiality expectations, staff are reminded to:
 Maintain complete confidentiality at all times.
 If uncomfortable, skip transcription and/or defer handling of a medical record
for a patient who is personally known and inform supervisor.
 Do not access medical records/information for family member/acquaintance) online or directly (clinical notes, test results, etc.).
F. Dress & Decorum Policy
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039775
Office managers expect adherence to the Dress and Decorum Policy.
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F. Mayo Clinic Access Identification Cards
Access identification cards are to be worn on the upper torso with the photograph side
of the card visible between the neck and waistline. Clipping it to your waist or belt is
not acceptable. It must be worn at all times while on Mayo Clinic premises, except
when on such premises as a patient. It may be displayed using lanyards, retractable
cord badge reels, clips, or plastic magnetic holders. Modes of display must be
professional and non-promotional in nature. Use of lanyards and retractable cord
badge reels with the Mayo Clinic logo is preferred. Discretion must be used when
wearing your badge off Mayo Clinic property.
F. Pager, Cell Phone Use and Personal Phone Calls
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039775
Cell phones are to be used only outside the work unit during rest or meal breaks. This
includes text messaging and all incoming/outgoing calls. Cell phones should be turned
OFF during your shift.
G. Safety and Security
Reviewed annually with Emergency Preparedness Training.
H. Salary Administration
H. Overtime Provisions
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039668
Staff must pre-approve overtime with office manager. If office manager is
unavailable, must obtain approval from work-unit lead or another office manager.
H. Payroll Procedures
http://mayocontent.mayo.edu/hr-epm/DOCMAN-0000039669
Payroll discrepancies should be brought to the attention of the employee’s manager.
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Appendix Information
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CV Allied Health web site: http://mayoweb.mayo.edu/cv-support/
Telephone Service Essentials (Appendix A)
Outlook E-Mail Essentials (Appendix B)
Patient Letter Guidelines (Appendix C)
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Appendix A
Telephone Service Essentials
The Cardiovascular Division has approved the following greeting when answering the
telephone:
Good Morning/Good Afternoon
Mayo Clinic
Cardiovascular Division
This is ________________, how may/can I help/assist you?
(State your name)
Closing
Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Thank you for calling Mayo Clinic.
Nurse Practitioners (NP)/Physician Assistants(PA)
In an effort to standardize how we refer to our nurse practitioners and physician
assistants across the CV Division, please use the following guidelines when visiting with
patients:
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Call the NP/PA by their title and last name, and use their credential when
appropriate (i.e. Mr. Schnell, our physician assistant)
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Appendix B
Outlook E-Mail Essentials
Policy Statement
E-mail signatures should be used for new emails as well as replies and forwards.
An e-mail signature functions as your virtual business card. Include information that
recipients may need to know, who you are and where you are located. Avoid flourishes
that do not fit a business setting. E-mail signatures should contain your name, job title,
division name and contact information. The entity name and address (usually Mayo
Clinic) should appear.
Use the Verdana 10 point font for the signature text. For your name and Mayo Clinic,
use blue bold text. Do not use a different color in each line as it is distracting.
Do not use quotes, aphorisms, religious references or similar statements, as they may
be considered offensive by recipients. Graphics including emoticons, clip art,
animations (e.g., fly-ins), and Mayo Clinic logos greatly increase the size of e-mail files,
and should not be added to the e-mail signature nor the background of the e-mail.
The samples at http://mayoweb.mayo.edu/brand-standards/email-signature.html show
appropriate and inappropriate formats for e-mail signatures.
Out-of-Office:
The Outlook Out-of-Office Assistant is to be applied immediately prior to scheduled
time away. The standard formatting is as follows:
"I will be away from the office (date), returning on (date). For immediate assistance,
please contact (name, telephone number). . . . ."
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Appendix C
Cardiovascular Patient Letter Guidelines
Institutional transcription guidelines for clinical letters is 48 hours for patient
correspondence (see website for complete guidelines http://mayoweb.mayo.edu/mansecguide/mrtrx_tat.html).

If your desk is slow or provider(s) away, you will be expected to type clinical
letters or other work as indicated on the CV Workload Assistance Outlook
Calendar
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Type letters for providers assigned to desk, then office letters, then the
oldest pool letter (type office letters only for secretaries who are away
unless a specific secretary has indicated they would like help)
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Follow through on any Special Instructions using InBox, and also notify the
medical secretary unless the instructions are regarding appointment
information, then notify the respective appointment coordinator
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If a letter is typed for a coworker in another office, you may send an InBox
message to secretary (or whomever is covering InBox) to print out letter