St. Edward Pushes CEO and Web
by January 22, 2001 12:00 am 63 views
Clients of St. Edward Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith take their suggestions straight to the top. Cards labeled “Dear Dr. Hoffman, Your Message to the President…” encourage people to submit comments, suggestions or complaints to the hospital’s president and CEO, Dr. John Hoffman.
The card sports a note from Hoffman that begins, “No matter what you’re thinking, I’d like to hear from you.” Stacks of the cards can be found in patient rooms, lobbies and hallways.
Hoffman reads each note himself and a response goes out within 24 hours. The program was implemented more than three years ago, and the hospital now receives 20-50 cards each week.
Smaller cards that promote StEdwardMercy.com also dot the hospital’s lobby. The Web site, revamped in May of 1999, allows friends and family members to send e-mail messages to patients in the hospital. Messages are hand-delivered once a day, and an average of 10 e-mails arrive each day, mostly from out-of-state family members.
Physician profiles and general information are also available on the site.