Stars of the Month – April

Four employees from each of the service lines (Ambulatory Surgery, Emergency Department, Inpatient Services and Outpatient Services) have been named as a “Star of the Month” in recognition for their commitment to our patients and I CARE values. These employees have been selected based on outstanding patient comments and feedback received. Each month we alternate between featuring employees who received exceptional recognition from one of our various surveys (NRC Survey, RealTime, CONNECT Discharge Phone Calls, MyRounding) and employees who have been noted as going above and beyond through feedback from the Service Quality team and Guest Relations rounds.

We are excited to showcase and recognize the amazing hard work that our employees deliver to our patients on a daily basis. Thank you for being a part of our journey to unparalleled.

Thomas Rivers, MD – Ambulatory Surgery/Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

A few of Dr. Rivers’ patients had these comments to say about him:

• “Preop nurses and Dr. Rivers are outstanding. Thank you all!”
• “The nurses and everyone that cared for my son, did an incredible job, especially Dr. Rivers who was exceptional in caring for my son and helped him feel at ease by praying with him.”
• “The staff was patient and caring. Dr. Rivers took very good care of our child. He prayed over my child and wished her and everyone involved to come together heal her.”

Glen Wayne Konvicka, Supply Chain – Inpatient

Back in March, a patient liaison was flagged down in the hallway of 5E by the nurse who was caring for a patient on the unit. The patient was attempting to leave the unit to walk across the hospital to get a hearing aid battery as hers was getting ready to go out. The patient liaison had met the patient the day before and also during another admission and asked the patient to let her help with this. The patient was here alone without any family or friends to help her obtain a battery and didn’t want to bother us but agreed to let the liaison assist her. The nurse manager confirmed that they do not have any of those type of batteries on the floor. The patient liaison tried calling Walgreens in MOB 3 and they do not carry those batteries. Usually, they can send someone across the street but they were not able to that day. Finally, they tried calling the gift shops. The gift shop explained that because of the short shelf life, they do not stock them either. Then the patient liaison remembered that a few years ago, she had received assistance from supply chain. She reached out to the supervisor Glen Konvicka, gave him the information on the battery and asked if he could help. He agreed and asked how quickly the battery was needed. He said he would get back to her shortly. He called back in 15 or 20 minutes and asked where the patient liaison was in the hospital. He met the team on the fifth floor and delivered a whole pack of batteries. He also had purchased a card at the store and said, “I thought she might like to get a card. A card always makes everybody feel better.” He had purchased a beautiful get well card, wrote a personal greeting inside wishing the patient well and signed his name. It was incredibly thoughtful. The patient liaison delivered it to the patient and she teared up asking how much she owed him. It was explained that the floor manager had approved the cost and the hospital would be covering for the patient. The patient couldn’t believe that not only would the hospital cover the cost but that an employee would go off campus to procure and would take the time to personalize a “favor” to her.

Herbert Brown, Security Representative – Emergency Department

A patient said, “I was really, really impressed with the guard on duty. He came out immediately and assisted my 90-year-old mother into her walker then walked over to the nearest chair. Then, when we were getting ready to leave, he did the same thing. I was truly impressed by that and I appreciated his doing it because she moves very slowly. Thank you.”

Kiri Seliger, Breast Care Center – Outpatient

“My registration was at the Breast Center because I went there first for a bone density test. I then accidentally drove to Sweetwater but Kiri told me that my ultrasound was to be done at the main hospital. I walk with a cane and couldn’t walk that far. She offered to take me there in a wheelchair. She was very friendly and pleasant to talk to on the way. I could tell she loved her job. Then when my test was over she came and got me and wheeled me back to the front door of Sweetwater. She is an amazing employee,” said a patient about Kiri.