Holy Name Press Releases

Holy Name appoints 'Chief Experience Officer'

Kristen L. Silberstein will lead hospital's efforts to improve its focus on patients

September 16, 2016

Holy Name Medical Center welcomes Kristen L. Silberstein in the role of Vice President of Patient Engagement and Chief Experience Officer. In this newly-formed leadership role, Silberstein will be responsible for deploying hospital staff to provide a more tailored medical experience for patients.

The appointment reflects a movement in healthcare from a procedure-driven model towards a relationship-driven model that is more patient-centric, focusing on the unique needs of every individual. These may include linguistic, dietary, cultural, religious, familial and financial, as well as personal and social considerations. With individuals playing a much more active role in choosing where and how they spend their precious healthcare dollars, continued success in this more competitive environment demands that patients be provided with the highest quality clinical and non-clinical experiences possible.

"We're setting the standard for patient-centered care in our community," said Michael Maron, President and CEO of Holy Name, noting that Holy Name's outreach programs and culturally competent initiatives such as Asian Health Services, Familia Y Salud, and faith-based services have become national models for addressing the diverse needs of various populations. "We are pleased to welcome Kristen as the Vice President of Patient Engagement and Chief Experience Officer. She brings a wealth of experience that will help ensure the patient engagement program meets its goal: improving patient satisfaction by delivering enhanced quality care, one patient at a time."

"A staff of dedicated, compassionate healthcare professionals is essential to the satisfaction of patients and integral to the patient's positive experience at the medical center," said Sheryl Slonim, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Executive Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Holy Name Medical Center, noting that Holy Name is Magnet-recognized and has been the only hospital to achieve the NJBIZ Best Places to Work in NJ recognition for 11 straight years. "Under Kristen's leadership, Holy Name will continue advancing our mission to deliver customized care to each of our patients."

Silberstein will lead non-clinical service areas with heavy customer interaction, such as Patient Access, ER Registration, and the Call Center as well as the programs needed to ensure that employees have the tools and training needed to provide patients with the best possible experience. Medical Center staff will participate in simulated sensitivity training programs through Holy Name's Institute for Simulation Learning - which functions as a hospital-wide think tank and provides clinical education by replicating challenging situations in a controlled, immersive environment allowing healthcare professionals to refine skills, foster team collaboration, communication and develop safe, innovative and compassionate approaches to patient care.

"We believe that every touchpoint is an opportunity to connect, communicate and comfort, which helps foster life-long relationships with the members of our community, said Kristen Silberstein. "I’m honored to be given an opportunity to lead patient engagement at Holy Name and look forward to building on the hospital’s mission to deliver the highest standard of compassionate, quality healthcare to each of our patients.

Silberstein, a resident of Sparta, NJ, received her MPA from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU and she holds a BA in Economics and Business from Lafayette College. She was recently nominated as a finalist for the NJ Biz Healthcare Professional of the Year Award. Kristen joins Holy Name from the Valley Hospital, where she served as Assistant Vice President, Managed Care. She was also Director of Managed Care at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.