Hershey

New director to focus on creating exceptional patient, guest experience

To address the organization’s goal of achieving the highest level of quality, safety and value, Peggy Creany has joined Penn State Hershey as administrative director of patient and guest experience. This newly-created position is responsible for developing the Penn State Hershey Experience.

“My role is to create an exceptional patient and guest experience that is consistent with the Penn State Hershey Medical Center brand,” Creany said. “A lot of great things are already happening. It’s time now to bring it all together to focus on delivering an exceptional experience for our patients and guests.”

Creany, who was formerly the director of service quality, guest relations and the Methodist Experience at Houston Methodist Hospital System in Houston, will focus on creating a branded patient experience, standardization of patient satisfaction best practices and development of patient centered initiatives that help us achieve our patient satisfaction goals. Creating a culture of service that is committed to organizational values, service standards, service recovery, rewards and recognition, employee and leadership accountability and continuous improvement is the approach.

“One of Penn State Hershey’s strategic imperatives is to create an extraordinary patient experience. This is a promise we have made to our patients and their families that they are the focus of all that we do,” said Dr. A. Craig Hillemeier, chief executive officer, senior vice president for health affairs and dean. “I welcome Peggy to Penn State Hershey and look forward to her leading our efforts as we work together to fulfill this promise, just as she led Houston Methodist Hospital System to earn national recognition for outstanding patient satisfaction.”   

Patient satisfaction has been growing in importance.

“We are all held accountable to not only provide the highest quality care, but to do so with exceptional customer service, especially as pay for performance becomes tied to it,” Creany said.

A Penn State graduate, coming to Penn State Hershey wasn’t a tough decision.

“I could tell Penn State Hershey was focused on the patient experience because it has been made a high priority within our strategic imperatives,” she said. “It has a good foundation, and I’m looking forward to building on this foundation for continued success. I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel.”

Patient satisfaction is every employee’s responsibility.

“We need to work on it every day, make it part of our mindset and put the patient and guest at the center of our universe, the center of our day,” she said. “Everyone can contribute.” 

Creany is responsible for the overall Patient Experience culture as well as patient relations, volunteer services and the gift shop, and Patient and Family Centered Care. She will also lead the adult and pediatric family advisory councils, and play a role in the Children’s Hospital Get Well Network Interactive Patient Experience System.

Last Updated October 8, 2014

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