A new president has taken the reins at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown. On August 14, Declan Doyle, MBA, took over at the hospital, after previously serving as Senior Vice President of Operations at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn.
The Messenger recently visited with Mr. Doyle, 58, as well as Ms. Michelle Pipia-Stiles, Director of Public & Community Relations at St. Catherine, to discuss Mr. Doyle’s new position as well as the latest happenings at St. Catherine Hospital.
Q: What is your professional background?
A: I have over twenty-four years of experience in hospital administration, including the position of Director of Radiology. Educationally, have a Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Management from St. Francis College and an MBA from St. Joseph’s University. I am also a New York State licensed Radiologic Technologist. I reside in Rockville Centre with my wife and two children.
Q: You grew up on a farm in Ireland, can you talk about that?
A: Yes, I was raised on a farm, but what I remember most is helping take care of my grandmother when I was eight or nine years old, so my parents could do the farm work. She had dementia and needed help with daily activities. I came to the United States in 1987.
Q: In the press release, it says you will oversee all of St. Catherine’s clinical areas with a particular focus on strengthening “patient experiences” and growing Catholic Health Services’ (CHS) commitment to high-reliability organization principles. Can you expand on how you plan to strengthen patient experiences?
A: Here at St. Catherine, we not only want to emphasize quality care, but we also want respect and compassion for our patients woven into the culture here. We can accomplish this with “every patient, every experience, every moment.” And yes, we also have good quality physicians here.
Q: How do you measure patient experiences?
A: We follow quality standards and use patient surveys. We also adhere to all agency accreditation standards, such as The Joint Commission. Quality is a value here.
Q: How has your work as an X-ray technician influenced your decisions in health care management?
A: I make it a point to visit patients every day, including the pre-op holding area. I want to hear directly from our patients. I use the same time to interact with the staff, and the staff seems okay with that.
Q: What attracted you to St. Catherine of Siena Hospital and Catholic Health?
A: I already knew Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy (Director of CHS) from networking and believed in his philosophy of “treating the whole patient, mind, body and spirit.” I believe in that approach as an administrator.
Q: What do you see as strengths and weaknesses at St. Catherine, how do you plan to address the weaknesses?
A: We have integrated (at St. Catherine) the St. Francis Heart Center (chest pain unit), with advanced imaging, two catheter labs, and direct admission from the Emergency Department (ED) to our dedicated cardiac unit on the 2nd floor. Going forward, St. Francis cardiologists will provide prompt, expert care for acute chest pain here at St. Catherine. Residents of Suffolk’s north shore can now have access to lifesaving treatment for patients with acute cardiac disease.
Q: What areas need improvement?
A: We are working on improvements to our physical infrastructure. For example, we are renovating our ED, including the triage area. This will accommodate the increased traffic we are seeing in the ED, as well as the increased admissions from the ED to the floor.
Q: Does St. Catherine have policies in place to comply with the No Suprises Billing Act, which was enacted on January 1, 2022?
A: Yes, the staff has been instructed in compliance as to billing by non-network providers. We are fully aware of this regulation.
Q: Have you had an experience, either positive or negative, as a patient that has influenced you as an administrator of a healthcare facility?
A: As patients, we are humbled and vulnerable in the medical environment. That’s something I keep in mind as an administrator. Communication is very important.
Ms. Michelle Pipia-Stiles, Director of Public & Community Relations at St. Catherine, added her input on improvement around the hospital.
“CHS has recently partnered with Health Hospitality Partners (HHP) to offer casual, yet healthy food and beverage options to hospital employees and visitors,” said Director Pipia-Stiles. “That restaurant, Root & Sprig, is already operating at St. Francis and is currently being added to our lobby here as well. Root & Sprig was founded by Tom Colicchio, the Executive Producer of Bravo TV’s Top Chef. Menu choices will include vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. CHS is dedicated to healthy eating, so we believe this is a good partnership for us.”
The Messenger’s final question was geared towards both President Doyle and Director Pipia-Stiles, regarding what they would both like the community to know about St. Catherine’s of Siena Hospital:
“We are committed to a quality patient experience. We provide community outreach, including free educational seminars, health screenings at libraries, schools, town fairs, fire departments, parishes and more. We are also addressing the needs of the underserved and uninsured. For example, our hospital’s nursing administration team hosts “Healthy Sundays” in local parishes in underserved areas, offering free blood pressure screenings, flu vaccinations, as well as education on healthy eating, stroke, and diabetes prevention, and more.”
The Messenger would like to thank Mr. Declan Doyle and Ms. Michelle Pipia-Stiles for taking the time to discuss how St. Catherine of Siena Hospital continues to serve the Smithtown and central, northern Suffolk community.
For more information about St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, go to: chsli.org/st-catherine-siena-hospital or call (631) 862-3000.
