Educating and improving patient care

Gretchen Ramsey
Regional Director, Patient Experience 
Penn State Health West Region

Gretchen Ramsey understands that when people are in pain or desperate for answers, the right words and a compassionate approach can make all the difference.

“When patients or family members have concerns, it’s our job to validate those concerns, truly listen and meet them where they are,” says the regional director of patient experience for Hampden and Holy Spirit medical centers. That’s why Gretchen spends her days coaching providers how to connect with them in ways that go beyond medical jargon and clinical procedures. “It gives me a certain amount of joy when I see they are satisfied with a solution we’ve presented or a gap we’ve been able to bridge.”

With a hands-on approach, Gretchen is highly visible and accessible, often rounding in the hospital’s busiest areas, like the lobby, cafeteria, high-volume patient floors and the Emergency Department. She watches, listens and looks for moments to educate providers and improve patient care, ready to ask, “Are you open for a coaching moment?”

It’s stories like these that drive our purpose.