Anthony Mitchell has been named the new vice president of communications and government relations at Advocate Health Care. Mitchell comes to Advocate with an extensive background in corporate communications and public affairs and also has held a number of federal government appointments.

Most recently, Mitchell served at the American Express Company as vice president of corporate and financial public relations where he developed and executed communications strategies and plans to advance the company’s business lines and objectives. Prior to this he served as assistant vice president of marketing and director of government relations for Sallie Mae, Inc., Reston, Virginia.

Mitchell’s government appointments include deputy assistant secretary for public affairs for the U.S. Department of Housing and public relations roles for the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. General Services Administration.

Mitchell earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University, New Haven, CT.

On May 2, 2005 Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare (EMHC) will open the doors of its newest location, the Elmhurst Memorial Lombard Health Center (EMLHC). When the planning of this project began, an idea took root to extend the Hospital’s initiative of an ideal inpatient day into the activities at EMLHC. So, three key EMHC staff members, Mark Hoffman, Manager of Ambulatory Properties, Janice Nemri, Director of the Radiology Department and Anita Sanchez, Director of Patient Care, joined together to start formulating the elements that would create an "ideal outpatient experience" for Lombard Health Center patients. In order to ensure a positive patient experience, the team of three pulled together a larger group of 30 and the "Ideal Outpatient Experience Committee" was born. Each team member offers expertise of their own area in one, or more, of seven subcommittees: Patient Flow, Human Resources, Materials, Protocols, Quality, Revenue Cycle and Tenants.

Members of the Ideal Outpatient Experience Committee (l-r) Mark Hoffman, Anita Sanchez, Colleen Sperando, R.N., and Rick Chaussey gather to review signage options for the new Elmhurst Memorial Lombard Health Center

By working together, the subcommittees help formulate plans for a seamless outpatient experience and subsequent dedicated patient base, thus strengthening the relationship between Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare and the patients visiting EMLHC.

A few accomplishments of the subcommittees and their sub-teams to date include identifying various patient points-of-entry, creating systems for patient arrival notification, streamlining of registration and scheduling systems, development of hiring procedures and communication of the EMLHC as a "smoke-free"campus. In addition, the team is planning an extensive orientation for staff two weeks prior to opening which will include emergency drills, mock patient visits and the establishment of an employee/tenant council to address patient satisfaction scores, patient feedback and other relevant issues.

"We believe that this committee is an integral part of what promises to be the success of the EMLHC," said Hoffman. "Today's patient is very savvy and has choices when it comes to their healthcare needs. We want to ensure that we are doing everything we can to provide the best possible experience for them."

Kindred Hospital Chicago Northlake was the recipient of the Quality through People Gold Award (4th Quarter) and the Kindred Hospital Division 2004 Midwest Region Focus Award for Customer Service. To win this award, the hospital achieved the highest scores in the region for overall employee satisfaction and overall patient/family satisfaction. Frank Battafarano, President-Hospital Division of Kindred Healthcare, believes "Customer service is a Kindred Healthcare Critical Success Factor that makes sense from a number of standpoints, including our emphasis on quality care and employee satisfaction."

Michele Dionne, CEO of Kindred Hospital-Northlake, and Jack Shapiro.

Kindred Hospital Chicago North was also recognized from the Hospital Division with the 2004 Midwest Region Financial Performance Award. Healthcare’s obligation to fiscal responsibility is equally important in today’s economically tense environment. The award is given to the hospital that performs the best in the region compared to budget on such indicators as profitability, accounts receivable management, admissions, and cost management.

Kindred Northlake’s Chief Executive Officer, Michele Dionne, was also honored with the Chief Executive Officer of the Year Award for the Midwest Region’s fourteen hospitals. Jack Shapiro, Chief Executive Officer of Kindred’s Chicago market and of the Kindred Chicago North campus was presented with the President’s Award. The award is in recognition of sustained contribution to the Company in guiding the growth of Kindred Hospital Chicago North as well as the Chicago market for the last ten years.