Praise for Swedish Medical Center

I finally wrote to Dr. Rodney Hochman, chief medical officer at Swedish Medical Center to praise the truly excellent care I received on the night of March 29, when I fell and dislocated my elbow. He responded the same day and he liked my blog!

Dear Jill,
Your email this morning was a great way to start the day. I will make sure that the group in the emergency department hears about your experience. I usually try to spend a least a half day a week at one of our clinical sites to see our people in action. I continue to be impressed with the quality and compassion exhibited by our people. Your blog and Rik's photos were also very insightful. Regards, Rod

And here's my original email (sent at 6 AM when I had insomnia yesterday):

After the Passover seder, around 10 PM on March 29, I slipped and fell on wet pavement, injured my arm and was taken by ambulance to Swedish First Hill, where I received truly excellent care. The ED doctor (who had just left his Passover seder) and nurses all treated me as though I was a family member. They listened to and honored my requests, addressed my significant pain, diagnosed a dislocated elbow and attempted to put the bones back into the joint. When that proved unsuccessful, at around 3 AM they called an orthopedic specialist. I was fortunate to go under
the care of Dr. Bill Wagner, who successfully reset my arm and has been a caring, compassionate physician ever since.

I passed a long night at the ED and I only wish I remembered the names of the staff who helped me so this letter could go into their personnel files. Swedish is fortunate to have such employees!

Swedish is always my hospital of choice.

And this is the response from Swedish today

What a quick and positive reply to my letter, sent via email yesterday --

From: Curtis.Veal@swedish.org
Subject: RE: praise for Swedish staff
Date: May 12, 2009 2:46:53 AM PDT
To: jillrik@nwlink.com
Cc: Rod.Hochman@swedish.org

Dear Ms. Cohen:
Thanks so very much for your feedback. We are proud that your patient experience was a positive one, as we strive to deliver the best possible care in the case of every patient we serve.

Again, thanks for your thoughtfulness in taking the time to acknowledge these fine staff. Dr. Hochman & I will be sure that they receive this kind recognition for the great work they do.

Best to you,
Curtis Veal

Curtis F. Veal, Jr., MD
Immediate Past Chief of Staff, Swedish Medical Center
Pulmonary, Critical Care & Internal Medicine
Medical Director, Critical Care & eICU
Swedish Medical Center & The Polyclinic
801 Broadway, Suite 814
Seattle, WA 98122
Office 206.329.1760
Pager 206.997.5051
Mobile 206.790.7008

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential, proprietary, and/or privileged information protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, copy, or distribute this e-mail message or its attachments. If you believe you have received this e-mail message in error, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.

Praising Swedish Medical Center

This is the letter I wrote to Rod Hochman, CEO and Curtis Veal, Chief of Staff of Swedish --

May 11, 2009

Rod Hochman MD, CEO
Curtis Veal MD, Chief of Staff
Swedish Medical Center
747 Broadway
Seattle WA 98122

Dear Dr. Hochman and Dr. Veal,

I write today to praise the medical, nursing, and support staff of Swedish’s First Hill campus.

On Saturday I was discharged after a 12-night inpatient stay on the 12th floor of the First Hill campus. Without exception, everyone treated me as an individual, warmly and with compassion. It was as though I was a sister, cousin, niece, even mother to the many people who cared for me, from the A La Carte team who toted me trays of food at all hours to the transport staff, the NACs and RNs. Of course, my doctors Sheldon Goldberg, Martin Siegel, Darlene Barr and Deb Klein were exemplary givers of the kind of medical attention top professionals provide.

I wish to name all these people so that you may place a copy of this letter in each personnel file. These staff deserve such recognition and more!

RNs: Amber (very sweet); Ashley (who really listens); Bonnie (float); Heather; Heidi (charge nurse); Helen (float with a lovely sense of humor); Jemina (float); Joanne; Jon (float extraordinaire); Juliet (old fashioned commitment to standards of care); Karen; Kelly; Kerry; Khristie; Lizzie; Naz; Nicole (so compassionate); Sarah (float); and William.

NACs: Acacia (nursing student); Alex; Amanuel; E; Enri; Marsha; Sheila; Weyni; YaYa

Transport: Sheila and Steve (who transported me twice and greeted me with a smile of recognition on the second occasion)

If I have missed anyone, it’s my own oversight. I tried to keep track of all the many people who took care of me during this lengthy stay.

In addition, I have been a patient at Providence on several occasions before and after Swedish acquired it. In my humble opinion, it appears that Swedish First Hill has fully integrated the Providence commitment to patient care. That to me was the strength that Providence brought to the merger; I am more than pleased to acknowledge that the merger works.

Sincerely and with many thanks to all those who cared for me,



Jill Cohen

Still waiting for discharge

I stayed overnight last night because my potassium came in at 3.2 -- not the minimal 3.3 needed. They gave me potassium and magnesium overnight and will do another blood draw for labs at 6:45 AM. Hopefully positive results will arrive between 8 - 9 AM and I will get home this morning!