The patient arrived at the Perelman Center for his appointment, driving in from Lancaster to see Allyson Pishko, MD, of Hematology-Oncology at the Abramson Cancer Center. As a newly diagnosed patient, he wasn’t sure where to go as he entered PCAM so he reached out to patient ambassador Beulah Wilder at the Information Desk for directions.
Looking in Penn Chart, Wilder discovered a dilemma: the visit was via telehealth, not in-person. She explained the mistake to the patient and then quickly called Patient and Guest Relations (PGR) and asked “What can we do?” Christine Furlong, MS, PGR manager of Operations, reached out to Lynn McShay, director of Operations at the Abramson Cancer Center and, after explaining the situation, the two got on a conference call with the doctor. “She said the patient could still do the telehealth visit, from PCAM, or she’d drive in to see him,” Furlong said.
Quickly calling Wilder back, Furlong asked which the patient would prefer. “The patient would love an in-person visit, if possible,” was the response.
So, rather than rescheduling the patient appointment — and thus making the patient’s long trek into Philadelphia a wasted effort — Pishko drove the 20 minutes in from her home and saw the patient in-person, much to the patient’s extreme gratitude!
AT PENN MEDICINE, WE ALL ASPIRE TO BE DIFFERENCE MAKERS WHO REPRESENT THE PENN MEDICINE EXPERIENCE ( PMX ) IN ACTION.
PMX sets a consistent standard across all of our entities and work locations to make every touchpoint an opportunity to build enduring connections with patients, families, visitors, and colleagues, which is a foundational part of the UPHS Success Share program.