In-Forum , ND
Aug 14 2004
MeritCare program just what the doctor ordered
TerryDeVine,The Forum
The guest services program at MeritCare Medical Center has proven to
be a great success in its four years of existence and a public
relations bonanza.
And a year-old pilot program, also designed to enhance customer
service, is so popular with patients and their families that it will
become a permanent fixture, says Patricia Dirk, MeritCare coordinator
of guest services.
The pilot program was started with $200,000 in seed money from the
MeritCare Foundation and the MeritCare Auxiliary, but Dirk says it
will be included in next year’s budget as a separate line item.
“The guest services program was a strategic initiative to enhance
customer service and the patient experience,” says Dirk.
“Dr. (Roger) Gilbertson (MeritCare president) is very concerned about
easing the burden of illness, about having employees who are
compassionate and help patients and friends through illness,” says
Dirk. “He wants to know what we can do to make things better for
them. After all, they don’t choose to be here. The stress of illness
can make simple things much more difficult.”
The program is designed to alleviate that stress. By all accounts, it
is succeeding.
The key is having the right people in place, says Dirk, and she now
has 26 full- and part-time guest services representatives operating
throughout MeritCare’s health system.
The pilot program is operating on two medical/surgical floors, with
an eye toward future expansion.
In fact, Dirk says she’s currently seeking and training volunteers to
help with the pilot program.
She’d be happy to have you apply.
The person who makes the pilot program go on the two medical/surgical
floors is Karine Pogosyan, a 29-year-old sparkplug from Armenia, who
emigrated to the U.S. with her parents back in 1992.
“I don’t only laugh with patients, I also cry with patients,” says
the personable Pogosyan, who will shortly finish a master’s degree in
counseling at NDSU and start a doctoral program in human development
in the fall.
“My passion is love for people,” says Pogosyan. “It’s what keeps me
going.”
Need a movie? She’ll run down to the video store and get it for you.
Need a motel room? Count on Pogosyan. Want to know where you can find
a certain kind of cuisine? She’ll point you in the right direction or
go carry it out for you.
Pogosyan, who is fluent in Armenian, English and Russian, is a breath
of fresh air. She makes people smile, even those who don’t feel much
like smiling because they don’t feel well.
During the week, Pogosyan can be found roaming her two floors,
stopping in all the rooms and talking to patients and their families,
assisting them in any way she can. No request is too small or too
large for her to deal with.
“It makes my day to satisfy an ill person who is not in a good mood,”
says Pogosyan. “It’s my job to build a relationship so people trust
me enough to ask for something.”
Every Wednesday afternoon guest services serves coffee for patients,
family, friends and anyone who wants to come. Cookies and popcorn
come with the coffee.
“People laugh and have a great time,” says Pogosyan. “They forget
their stresses. It’s something positive and gives them a chance to
vent.”
Pogosyan says she sees her job as simply making people happy. “I
never know what I’m walking into. It’s very challenging and very
unpredictable and I love it.”
Many of her patients and family members, often from rural areas, are
now friends and keep in touch from time to time.
“We all have a purpose in life,” says Pogosyan. “My purpose is to be
here. My motto is do whatever it takes and always treat others as you
would like to be treated yourself. I always ask myself that
question.”
Dirk, a veteran of more than 20 years with MeritCare, shares that
philosophy with Pogosyan.
“The clinicians care for the patients and we care for the families,”
says Dirk.
“If someone is here with a loved one in critical care, they need as
much care as their loved one,” says Dirk. “Some don’t ever leave the
hospital.”
The goal of guest services is to attend to those needs.
“If we walk away every day feeling like we made a difference in the
lives of the people we serve, that’s what keeps us motivated,” says
Dirk.
Judging by the results of patient satisfaction surveys, the program
is an unqualified success.