OMC Honors 2021 Patient Experience Champions

Olympic Medical Center’s 2021 Patient Experience Champions, clockwise from top left: John Blevins, Patient Access Representative; Debbie Campbell, Human Resources Generalist; Richard DeCou, Materials Management Document Specialist; Renae Winston, Patient Financial Services Supervisor; Debe Stallings, Home Health Speech & Language Pathologist; and, Phyllis Slife, MD, Emergency Department Physician.

Olympic Medical Center’s Chief Human Resources Officer and General Counsel Jennifer Burkhardt and Patient Experience Director Patti Haught named six Patient Experience Champions at a recent board of commissioners meeting.

Healthcare workers nominate their peers for the recognition of Patient Experience Champion for communicating with courtesy, compassion and respect, empowering patients to learn or cope effectively, contributing to new programs, improving processes, and/or going above and beyond to serve the needs of patients and their families. Patient Experience Champions are annually selected in May and recognized in person by the board.

This year’s Patient Experience Champions include:

• John Blevins, Patient Access Representative
• Debbie Campbell, Human Resources Generalist
• Richard DeCou, Materials Management Document Specialist
• Phyllis Slife, MD, Emergency Department Physician
• Debe Stallings, Home Health Speech & Language Pathologist
• Renae Winston, Patient Financial Services Supervisor

Burkhardt and Haught shared the nominations – submitted by employees – with the board.

John Blevins is often the first person patients interact with as they come to the emergency department, and John always creates a positive first impression. “He has an incredible ability to put our patients at ease [while checking them in],” said Burkhardt. “No matter how stressed, ill or frightened a patient or family member is, they are left feeling at least a little bit better after an interaction with John.”

Pictured from left: Patti Haught, Patient Experience Director; Dr. Phyllis Slife; Richard DeCou; Renae Winston; Debe Stallings; John Blevins; Darryl Wolfe, CEO; Michelle McFall, Patient Experience Manager; John Nutter, Board President; Jennifer Burkhardt, Chief Human Resources Officer & Legal Counsel; and, Debbie Campbell

According to Burkhardt, Debbie Campbell, human resources generalist, goes above and beyond for the good of patients, offering a level of care and service to new employees who then take care and consideration in attending to our patients. Debbie “embodies what it is to be a Patient Experience champion at OMC through her grace, compassion and care, which are all of a caliber to be emulated,” said Burkhardt.

As the Materials Management Document Specialist at OMC, Rich DeCou’s work “helps us respect and honor patients’ rights, facilitates communication and improves service efficiencies across the organization,” said Burkhardt. He is integral to providing translation services, and he directly supports patients’ right to information in their preferred language. And, with every request, Rich is on top of it “with a smile and fantastic attitude!” said Burkhardt.

Phyllis Slife, MD, is an emergency medicine physician, but she is also considered a kind, thoughtful, fair and calm presence. “Dr. Slife truly listens to her patients and considers their thoughts and input,” said Burkhardt. “She is never flustered or short with anyone, which is impressive considering the high-stress, fast-paced environment of the emergency department. Dr. Slife is always looking to truly help patients and put them at ease.”

Debe Stallings is a skilled speech-language pathologist with Olympic Medical Home Health. Many patients have praised Debe, thanking her for her help improving their speech, swallowing and even processing post-stroke. “Debe is a great team player advocating for her patients’ needs,” said Burkhardt. “She is always looking for ways to improve the workflow to help her patients more effectively and innovatively.”

Renae Winston works with Medicare, Medicaid and Veterans Administration every day to ensure patients have their government claims paid. This position requires a lot of advocacy, says Burkhardt, and Renae and her team provide that. “Renae goes above and beyond to make her team successful,” which not only creates a positive team environment, but ensures patients are taken care of financially through processed claims. Plus, she is “friendly, direct and respectful—a perfect fit for her responsibilities and for OMC,” said Burkhardt.