The following letter was sent by a patient to UPHS CEO Ralph W. Muller. It has been edited for clarity and length.
I’m sure you get many emails, but I hope you have time to review this one and to recognize some amazing people who work under your leadership.
Last Wednesday, I had the unfortunate luck of having a piece of plaque break loose and clog 99 percent of my coronary artery. It was excruciating. I had a clean EKG six days prior when visiting my primary for acid reflux, so the last thing on my mind was a heart condition. I made it to work and sat for about ten minutes to see if it would pass. It didn’t. A coworker drove me to Suburban Community Hospital, and I was immediately told I was going on a helicopter to Penn Presbyterian.
Every person I dealt with was an “All-American” in their respective position. The details are a little fuzzy as I was focused on living that day, but I’m going to point out some people I owe a debt of gratitude to.
The PennSTAR flight team showed up at the hospital and immediately took control. Tanya Bell, MSN, ACNP-BC, was especially great. She called my wife, was completely engaged with me, and told me what was going on in a candid and compassionate way. She even stopped by the ICU the next day. The team in the Cardiac Cath Lab was amazing. It seemed like only 30 minutes went by, and I was better. They operated with purpose and precision — I was as much a spectator as a patient! I'll be grateful for them every day for the rest of my life.
I also had a great experience in the Heart & Vascular ICU. My nurses were bright, positive, personable and knowledgeable. Marisa Stephens, RN, was just awesome. She was a great communicator and shared a lot of info with me about pain management. She even gave my daughter directions when she drove in from college. Ian McGrath, MD, was clear, concise, confident, and professional. He spent time answering all my “good news and bad news” questions, as did Leedor Lieberman, MD. She had the uncanny ability of explaining to me how lucky I was in a way that was not overwhelming.
As I’m writing this, it almost sounds like it was a pleasure going to the hospital with a clogged artery! These people (and others whose names I can’t remember) did an amazing job, and I hope you hire as many people like them as you can. They cared, they delivered, they communicated, and they were incredibly competent. What they do is hard, and they don’t always win. I'm fortunate to write this email. I wish you all continued success.