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What I do

My role at City of Hope is to build partnerships with patients, caregivers, staff and providers to ensure patients and their families always feel cared for and supported through all of their experiences with City of Hope.

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Why I do it

I want to help City of Hope meet its ultimate goal that every patient and family member receive the highest level of care, and that every interaction is supportive, compassionate, and causes zero avoidable suffering.

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My Big Career Moment

Being promoted into a role where I had direct contact with patients, kindling my interest in providing an outstanding patient experience. I love being able to be an advocate for patients and their families.

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Help People by Creating Great Healthcare Experiences

23/09/2019 06:00am | 3950 views

By Kim Perez

You don’t have to be a doctor to help people through their most difficult medical crises. There are many ways to shape people’s experiences as a patient.  

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About the mentor

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Tony Padilla

Vice President of Patient Experience
City of Hope

As Vice President of Patient Experience, Tony Padilla oversees a team in charge of taking a big-picture view of every phase of a patient’s experience with City of Hope. With other City of Hope leaders and patients, he focuses on creating the systems and enhancing the organizational culture that drive a seamless experience for every patient across all of City of Hope’s 30+ locations in their clinical network.

Padilla has been in healthcare since 1983. He started as a financial counselor in the admissions office at UCLA Health, then was promoted into a role where he was responsible for interpreter services, volunteer services and measuring patient satisfaction. He moved up through leadership roles to become Chief Patient Experience Officer for UCLA Health, then was named Senior Director of Patient Experience for UCHealth in Colorado, before joining City of Hope in December 2018.