If spine surgery is indicated, one of the first Piedmont Hospital staff members that the patient will meet the day of surgery is Wylene Jordan or another member of her patient representative team.
The patient representative desk is located in the surgical waiting area of Piedmont Hospital and offers numerous services to those family members and friends waiting during their loved-ones spine surgery. Wylene is the Lead patient representative along with three other members of her team; patient representatives Luna Diocares, Sandra Richbow and Rosanne Hallisey, (pictured right).
Wylene states that as well as providing family members and friends with her phone number, the 35-year Piedmont Hospital “veteran” obtains contact information from family members and friends, in case they decide to grab a snack or stretch their legs during their loved-one’s surgery. The patient representatives also round on the family members and friends waiting, in order to provide surgical status updates as needed, such as the start time of surgery. Ms Jordan and her team promote patient safety by enforcing the use of hand sanitizer by patients and family members both before and after entering pre-op or the recovery room from the surgical waiting area. Wylene adds that she finds her role of supporting patients and family members during what can be a challenging time, to be “very rewarding”.
After surgery, patient representatives direct surgeons to the appropriate family members where consultation rooms are available for the surgeon to privately update the family and/or friends after surgery. Other responsibilities of Wylene and her team include: providing family members and friends with the hospital room assignment once the patient is ready to be transferred to his or her hospital room, as well as offering reduced rate parking passes.
Some of the other services available in the surgical waiting area include: Lockers for patient belongings during surgery, coffee and tea facilities, information on area restaurants & hotels, Wi-fi services at Piedmont AtlantaHospital, and also a patient tracking board where family members can view surgical status updates.
The phone number for the surgical waiting area is (404) 605-3275.