Nearly 45 years after helping define the urgent care model, Patient First has stuck to a simple idea: Put as much care as possible in one place, and staff it with people who stay.<\/p>\n
\u201cI joke and I say we\u2019re like our own little dysfunctional family,\u201d said Tina Horvath, the medical support director at the urgent care chain\u2019s Allentown location. \u201cYou might get mad at your sister or your brother, but at the end of the day, we have each other\u2019s backs.\u201d<\/p>\n
After starting her career working at an insurance company \u2014 or what she calls \u201cthe dark side\u201d \u2014 Horvath joined Patient First as a staff nurse in 2018 and now spends her days supervising the center and coordinating staff. She said she hopes to retire from the location, one of three in the Lehigh Valley and one of nearly 80 dotted across the mid-Atlantic.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone that works here is here because they care about the patients, they care about each other,\u201d said Horvath, recalling her interview process and how being a \u201cpeople person\u201d was just as emphasized as being knowledgeable.<\/p>\n
In an industry known for burnout and turnover, Patient First holds a different standard. Employees cite a workplace with a noticeably upbeat energy, and many staff members have worked at the company for years.<\/p>\n
That standard is just one of the reasons Patient First was named to The Morning Call\u2019s Top Workplaces this year, making its first appearance to the list and placing 12th among companies with 500 or more employees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do everything we can to make work enjoyable and keep that family-like atmosphere,\u201d said Horvath, noting the ease with which she fills shifts and empty positions. \u201cThat\u2019s what Patient First really is about.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the Allentown location, keeping that atmosphere can mean dressing in costumes or organizing employee raffles. This year\u2019s holiday raffle rewards, packaged in crisp white paper bags, included bundles themed around pet supplies and self-care, and an entry was earned for each shift worked.<\/p>\n
Boosting employee morale alongside Horvath is Medical Director Kimberly Sheets, who manages both the Allentown and Bethlehem centers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome other jobs, you wake up and you don\u2019t really want to get up and go to work,\u201d Sheets said. \u201cHere, it\u2019s a pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheets, who has been practicing medicine in the Lehigh Valley for more than 20 years, has been with Patient First since 2012. She transitioned into the company from a primary care job at a much larger hospital system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is much more enjoyable,\u201d said Sheets, who now spends her days tackling a huge range of conditions, from broken bones and chest pain to more routine follow-ups. \u201cWe see everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
That ability to see everything is central to the company\u2019s model; each Patient First location is equipped to provide X-rays, lab testing and medication, all under one roof. Many locations also provide primary care or occupational health services, all with the aim of preventing patients from requiring a trip to the emergency room or another location.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey always say, \u2018The only thing constant here is change,\u2019 \u201d Horvath said. \u201cWe\u2019re constantly updating, making sure we have the latest and the greatest, and making sure that they can get the best bang for their buck here at the urgent care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founded in 1981 by Richard Sowers, a former emergency physician, the company\u2019s motto is in its name: The patient comes first. Locations are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 365 days a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had people approach me and say, \u2018I wasn\u2019t feeling well\u2019 or \u2018I had an injury of some sort. Got to Patient First. It was 7:59, like a minute before you close, and I was welcomed,\u2019 \u201d said George Yanoshik, the local community relations manager. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t always happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being accessible is a mindset that extends upward, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re ones that foster that type of culture,\u201d said Sheets, crediting the family atmosphere to Patient First\u2019s management. \u201cThen it comes down to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheets and Horvath said each center receives a visit from senior management at least once a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could cover my name tag and they would probably know everybody that\u2019s here,\u201d Horvath said. \u201cThey recognize us. They recognize us for what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elisabeth Seidel is a freelance writer.<\/p>\n
Patient First<\/p>\n
Founded: 1981<\/p>\n
Ownership: Private<\/p>\n
Sector: Health care<\/p>\n
Lehigh Valley employees: 184<\/p>\n
Website: patientfirst.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nearly 45 years after helping define the urgent care model, Patient First has stuck to a simple idea:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,60,58385],"class_list":["post-124514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-business","tag-top-workplaces"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}