Dear Dr Rippberger:
I am a patient of Dr. Seraphin DeLeon and have had two recent surgeries at HealthSouthSurgery Center. The first operation was on my right hand on October 18th and another surgery on my left thumb today, November 12, 2007. Please forgive the length of this letter but I felt it was imperative that I write to you, complementing you and all of your staff.
I am very impressed with your surgical center. Your facility is very clean and very organized unlike the chaos that normally takes place in a hospital environment. Who needs chaos when they are already a little anxious contemplating their surgery?
I would also like to address your competent, professional, friendly and upbeat staff. I am sorry if I leave anyone out but I would like to give you all of their names, that I can remember, for they all deserve to be mentioned individually. Regarding my first surgery, I received a call from Cindy, in Pre-Op, who took my medical history over the phone. She was very polite, humorous but also professional without being stuffy. After speaking with her, I looked forward to actually going to the surgical center. The first person I had face to face contact with was a young girl at the Business Office, to sign in for my surgery. She, again, was very polite, courteous and very knowledgeable about what information she needed from me and this was all done with a smile at 6:00am. Then Barbara, in Admitting, was my next contact, she was very friendly and did everything she could to make me feel comfortable while waiting to have my surgery. Her demeanor alone relaxed me for my procedure. I then talked to my Anesthesiologist, Dr. Chun or Chung. What a wonderful bedside manner he had; explaining exactly what he was going to do and reassuring me every step of the way. I am always very nauseous after anesthesia but not this time. Jamie was my surgical nurse and she too, was very friendly as she walked me to the O.R. My recovery nurse was Jody and she could not have been any nicer to me or to my husband. She was very thoughtful to my needs and very friendly. While preparing to leave, Cindy, who took my medical history on the phone a week or so before, heard that I was in recovery and told me that she had to come and meet me because she enjoyed talking to me on the phone. What an excellent experience I had and belive me, after all the surgeries that I have had, I never felt inspired to write a letter like this. Every person on your staff always had a smile on their face when in contact with their patients and was always ready to serve them in any way possible. Everyone made me feel like I was their only patient, how could you ask for more than that.
Today, I saw the same helpful girl in the Business Office when I checked in. I was very impressed that I did not have to provide all the same personal information that I had just provided a few weeks ago, as you are normally requested to do at most places. She explained all the forms to me again and told me that since I had just been there; to review the information to make sure it was all correct, which of course, it was. Barbara then came to get me for admittance. She did not recognize my name right away, but she certainly remembered my face and acknowledged that I had just been there for a previous procedure, how rare is it that after tending to so many patients in a three week period, she actually remembered me. How impressive. She was her usual cheery, pleasant and helpful self. This time I had Angie for my surgical nurse and she could not have been any kinder, sweeter, reassuring and most importantly, informative. It was very comforting to see Angie smiling down at me just before going under.
There was another nurse, in the O.R. which Angie introduced me to; I do not recall her name, but she was just as friendly as the rest of the staff. My recovery nurse this time was Julianne. She too, was very friendly and caring making sure that I was just fine, explaining at-home instructions to me and to my husband as well as making sure that I had a fresh can of Diet Coke for my ride home to Antioch. The staff treated me like they, or their families, would like to be treated. That is very rare these days.
Because of the treatment I have received at your facility, I have sung your praises to everyone that I have come into contact with, whether it was friends, family or even strangers, inquiring about my surgical procedure. Your staff is happy, caring and yet professional. Those qualities show me that they have an Administrator that gives them the respect and kindness that they all deserve. Several of the ladies told me how much they like their boss and how they love working at your facility. That they love what they are doing is very obvious, just by the way they treat each other and every one of their patients.
In closing, I just want to say thank you, to you and your staff, for making a normally not so pleasant experience, one that could not have been any better.
Sincerely,
Diana