Eileen Egan, RN, JD, executive director
701 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow
914-366-3000
What was your path to becoming a hospital executive director?
“I started my career as a critical-care and emergency medicine nurse at Phelps. I worked here as an ER nurse for more than 17 years before my ER director and friend, Emil Nigro, M.D., encouraged me to follow my dream of getting a law degree. I think those were my initial steps on the path that ultimately led to the role of executive director at Phelps. After becoming an attorney, I worked in medical malpractice defense law for three years before returning to Phelps as director of risk management. My predecessor, Daniel Blum, saw my potential and promoted me to associate vice president, then vice president of quality assurance/risk management and clinical operations, which gave me the experience I needed for the next step in my career. Dan recommended that I become the interim executive director after his departure, since a formal replacement had not yet been identified. Although it thrust me into the midst of the pandemic – the first Covid-19 patient came to Phelps just hours after I officially took on my new role – it ultimately led to me being offered the position permanently.”
What makes Phelps Hospital Northwell Health distinctive?
“What makes Phelps stand out is that we are more than just a great hospital with high standards; we have a special culture at Phelps. I receive letters from our patients regularly telling me of the staff members who made a difference in their hospital experience by treating them with kindness and respect. I walk the halls and make rounds on our patients and team members and see these values put into action every day. These are difficult times for health-care workers at every level of the organization. But at Phelps, we support each other and maintain our commitment to providing the best possible care for everyone who walks through the door. We meet weekly to review the comments we receive on patient experience surveys, because we care deeply about resolving the issues that impact how they feel before, during and after their hospital visit. We also have a very strong connection to our community. During the pandemic, our team has worked closely with local organizations, EMS and volunteer ambulance corps to provide vaccinations to our community members, including homebound seniors throughout the county. And, lastly, our beautiful grounds – 69 acres of land bordered on the western edge by the Hudson River – make Phelps a truly special place to be. We take every opportunity to maximize the view by placing patient areas facing the river to provide a serene, calming view. We are also surrounded on three sides by the beautiful Rockefeller State Park Preserve, which not only provides aesthetic scenery, but also walking areas for staff and the community who elect to take advantage of the stunning landscape. Phelps encourages a holistic, healing environment.”
What are its specialties?
“Phelps is a community hospital that also enjoys the benefits of being part of New York state’s largest health care provider, Northwell Health. Our medical expertise is top-notch and supported by some of the latest technology, infrastructure and equipment available today. While a complete list of our specialties can be found on our website, below are a few highlights:
- Orthopedics;
- General surgery;
- Cancer care (with PET CT capabilities);
- Neurology, neurosurgery and stroke care, which includes thrombectomies, a delicate, innovative surgical procedure that removes blood clots from arteries and veins to prevent life-threatening conditions such as strokes; and
- Our behavioral health program, which includes inpatient psychiatry, behavioral rehab and outpatient services. We also have access to telepsych services: Reflux Center and Spine Institute.”
Increasingly, hospitals are becoming part of health-care systems. What are the advantages of such networks?
“Northwell provides a great deal of support and resources to its member hospitals. Phelps has benefited from Northwell’s support in developing many new programs and services, upgrading our physical plant, funding new equipment like PET and CT. Northwell is also in a strong position to negotiate rates with commercial insurance payors and to create economies of scale when purchasing supplies and equipment. Member hospitals are incentivized to maintain high-quality and patient-satisfaction standards through healthy competition between system hospitals. We look at comparative data all the time and always strive to outperform our sibling hospitals. When there is a specialized service that cannot be offered by the system hospitals, we know there is almost always another system hospital that can provide that service. Therefore, when a patient needs to be transferred to another facility for a service, procedure or surgery that we do not offer at Phelps, the patient benefits from all the increased continuity of care that’s possible when they can receive that care at another Northwell facility.”
What do you see in the future for Phelps Hospital Northwell Health?
“Phelps has been modernizing and expanding services for quite some time. We have big plans to continue growing our cancer center, which will eventually occupy much more physical space on the hospital campus. Our new state of the art PET-CT will support this service by providing imaging that patients previously had to travel a distance to obtain. We are also continuing to modernize our inpatient units to provide more single-bed, private rooms. This is one of the most important items on our patients’ wish lists. We are also excited to see continued growth of Phelps’ neuroscience program and our Center for Advanced Procedures.”
For more, visit phelps.northwell.edu.
