Hospital commissioners recognized four employees from Olympic Medical Center’s patient experience team at a recent board meeting, acknowledging “their commitment to pursuing excellent patient communication and advocacy, and improving patient experiences at OMC’s hospital, clinics and home health.”

Patient experience team employees work to support patients and their families to address aspects of their encounter with OMC,” collaborating with medical departments and clinics to ensure OMC exceeds the expectations of patients and families,” OMC representatives said.

Jennifer Burkhardt, OMC Chief Human Resources Officer and General Counsel, and Patient Experience Director Patti Haught presented the awards to the employees, including patient experience manager Michelle McFall and patient experience advocates Li Li, Amber Rauch and Sophia Rognlien.

“These four are passionate advocates for our patients and approach each situation with kindness, sensitivity and compassion,” Burkhardt said. “It is an honor to recognize our highly respected and valued Patient Experience Advocates and Patient Experience team.”

Haught shared kind words from patients about each honoree, first sharing about McFall: “I am writing this letter to commend and thank (Michelle). She very patiently listened to my concerns and carefully explained what was being done. I greatly appreciate her kindness, time and generous assistance in resolving this issue for me. In my estimation, she is most certainly a ‘bright star’ in your organization.”

Li’s patience, care and communication didn’t go unnoticed by a recent patient who shared how appreciative she was, OMC representatives said. “(Li) is kind, caring and helped get answers to all of my questions,” the patient wrote. “She really listened to me, and it was obvious that she cared about me as a person. She does a wonderful job, and you are fortunate to have her on staff.”

Rauch is appreciated by both patients and the departments she supports, OMC representatives said. Haught shared this from an OMC nurse manager: “I have to tell you how much I appreciate working with Amber. What a great addition to your team! She is intelligent, caring and helpful. Any time I ask for her assistance, there is no hesitation; she jumps right in. She is a natural patient advocate, and I can’t say enough good things about her.”

According to Haught, Rognlien has been key to helping emergency department patients navigate an already stressful situation. One patient shared that during her emergency department visit, she watched Rognlien talk with patients and keep them updated, going above and beyond: “She was just wonderful. I had arrived at 3 p.m., and after several hours and a few updates, Sophia said she would check with the doctor. When she returned, the doctor was with her, and the nurse took me back to a room. She is amazing!”