Director Plonsky will lead new hospital department

Person-centered care means focusing on our patient's individual needs and finding out what matters most to them, according to Karali Plonsky, the new Patient Experience Director at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County.

It's an important tool in improving clinical outcomes and our patient's overall experiences at MHSC, said Plonsky, now overseeing the hospital's new Patient Experience Department.

"The aim of this department is to bring person-centered care to the forefront of everything we do," she said.  "We want to hear our patients' voices through co-design and involve them in decisions regarding their care and process improvements throughout the organization."

Chief Patient Experience Officer Cindy Nelson said Plonsky will excel in this new position.

"A positive patient experience is considered a crucial aspect of high-quality healthcare," Nelson said. "We are so pleased to have Karali in this role and look forward to her continuing to be a leader in all things related to person-centered care and the patient experience."

Plonsky, who began working at MHSC nearly seven years ago as an analyst in the Quality Department, said assisting MHSC in providing person-centered care is one way she can make a difference in the lives of patients, their families, and community members.

Her team includes Patient Relations Specialist Josh Wilson and the hospital's four Patient Experience Representatives at the Information Desk in the main lobby. 

She is a Compassionate Healthcare professional who has specialized in Patient Experience in the MHSC Quality Department. She is a Planetree Workshop trainer, Person-Centered Care Committee member since its inception, and participates in MHSC's Patient and Family Advisory Council. In 2024, she completed the Person-Centered Care Professional Certificate Program. She has served as a resident Press Ganey Expert and will continue to provide patient experience data and support/suggestions for ways to continually improve as she leads the Patient Experience Department.

Plonsky has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with an emphasis on interpersonal and organizational communication from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. She is currently working toward Planetree International's Fellow in Person-Centered Care Credential.

For more on this and all Sweetwater Memorial has to offer, go to sweetwatermemorial.com.