Each year, membership in the UPHS 25-Year Club increases, a testament to the loyalty and dedication of our employees who devote a quarter century of their careers to Penn Medicine. Not only are more reaching the 25-year milestone but those hitting 30, 35, 40, 45, and even 50 years continues to grow as well. “I love that so many have this tremendous longevity in this organization,” said Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, the hospital’s CEO. “So many of you have been here for such a long time and it makes such a difference for organizations. People are what make organizations great and you are what make Penn Medicine great.
“Sometimes people ask me what I could have done differently in my career,” she added, smiling. “And I always tell them I would have come to Penn earlier. It’s that good!”
This year, the 25-Year Club welcomed 68 new members, bringing the total membership to almost 750 employees. CEO Ralph Muller thanked everyone for their tremendous impact on our patients and members of our communities, not only in meeting their health care needs but also through many volunteer efforts and generous donations to Penn’s Way… almost $1 million last year!
Penn Medicine’s excellence is consistently recognized on a national level, he said, for example, on the “Best Hospitals” list by U.S. News & World Report. And, according to Forbes, “we are the best health-care employer in the country and one of the top employers for women,” he said.
But the path to excellence took many years and many steps, Muller said. He learned from talking with leaders and those involved in patient care, “from simple things – like collecting bills -- to bringing exemplary nurses onboard,” he said. “By creating a state-of-the-art electronic health record that’s a national model for integrating care, no matter where the patient enters the health system.”
And he also learned the importance of paying attention to the needs of our patients. Thanks to many initiatives focusing on both patient- and family-entered care, “our patient satisfaction rates are at an all-time high.”
Through it all, “we were in it together. Our team spirit makes us one of the great health systems in the country,” he said. “It all comes down to team work, collegiality, and supporting each other.”