The Medical Leader

By CAROL CASEBOLT
For the Medical Leader

HONORED: Pikeville Medical Center was honored during a recent trip to Washington, D.C. Pictured from left to right are: Patty Thompson, Director of Customer Service; Juanita Deskins, Interim Chief Operating Officer; Walter E. May, President/Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Allen Gore, American Alliance of Health Care Providers; Cheryl Hickman, VP/Assistant to the President and CEO; Greg Donithan, Director of Performance Improvement; Shelia Belcher, Director of Medical Surgery; Terence Farrell, VP of Professional and Support Service; and Pam May, Attorney.

PIKEVILLE — Pikeville Medical Center representatives returned from Washington, D.C., last week after serving as featured speakers at the National Conference of Service Excellence in Healthcare Organizations.

The conference, presented by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers, provided the opportunity for hospitals across the country to collaborate on challenges facing the health care industry.

“It was a great honor to serve as a representative of the 1,700-plus Pikeville Medical Center employees at this conference,” said Terence Farrell, Vice President – Professional and Support Services. “Participants in the conference shared best-practice information and fresh ideas in creating the best in world-class health care. It was significantly beneficial because the participants were the top-ranked hospital performers and already the best of the best.”

Farrell joined PMC President and Chief Executive Operator Walter E. May, Interim Chief Operating Officer Juanita Deskins, Cheryl Hickman, Vice President – Assistant to the President/CEO, and other PMC affiliates at the conference including Pam May, Greg Donithan, Patty Thompson, Shelia Belcher, Mike Patrick, and Carol Casebolt. They arrived in Washington on Monday, May 10, for the two-day event.

The conference was open to health care organizations that applied for the National Hospital of the Year Award, which PMC earned in December 2009. Officials from PMC and the runner-up, Union Hospital in Indiana, addressed the crowd. Conference attendees also participated in intensive workshops headed by individuals from these two organizations and the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers.

“Interim Chief Operating Officer Juanita Deskins said, “The quality of our employees combined with their dedication to excellent customer service makes PMC a valuable resource for other hospitals striving to excel in the health care field.”

Conference sessions were presented in an interactive format, allowing attendees to personalize the information to fit their individual needs.

Donithan, the Director of Performance Improvement at PMC, hosted a session titled, “Achieving Service Excellence.”

“To be able to share best practices and lessons learned with top healthcare organizations and to hear them say such things as, ‘How do you do that at PMC?’ or ‘Wow! Great job!’ and ‘We are going to try that,’ — it validates that PMC is striving to continuously improve,” Donithan said.

Other presenters included Marvin Barnard, MD, who addressed “Beyond Crisis Management – Health Care Organizational Complexities,” Ronald Forbes, MD, who discussed “Principles for Achieving and Sustaining Superior Performance” and William Reidy, MSW, who talked about customer satisfaction standards in health care organizations.

“National Hospital of the Year is an honor for the hospital and the community,” said Hickman. “We have drawn attention, not just on a local level, but also nationally, for the great service that our employees provide for our patients.” She was commended by President/CEO Walter E. May for spearheading the application process for PMC’s National Hospital of the Year award.

May presented a video that featured the history of the hospital, its many awards and plans for future expansion. The audience applauded PMC’s title as top health care provider and its ranking of third overall in Best Places to Work among large companies in Kentucky.

“I have always told the many people at PMC that the only restrictions we have are those we place on ourselves,” May said. “The distinction of National Hospital of the Year is proof of what we can do, what our employees have done, and we’ve only just begun.”

Dr. Allen Gore, Director of the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers, concluded the conference by awarding May and PMC with a plaque of honor.

That gesture prompted a standing ovation from the crowd.