Experience You Can Count On

Mission statement – Educate and Inspire providers to improve patient health and well-being through improved engagement strategies

Susan Kheder, L.M.S.W.

Susan began her medical career as a clinical social work at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1981. Within 5 years she was selected to become the Director, Social Work and Case Management.  She continued in that ever growing role until 1998 when she transitioned to Service Line Leader for Women and Children's Services at the Hospital. After successfully opening the Ellen Thompson Women's Health Center and establishing numerous health and wellness programs and protocols for this center, she was selected to be the first Executive Director for Patient and Community Engagement at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and St. Joseph Mercy Livingston hospitals (member hospitals of Trinity Health). In this role she was responsible for Experience of Care, Volunteer Services, Healing Environment, and the Experience Advisor program.  In the last 10 years, she has collaborated with physicians to design and execute various methods to improve communication and relationships with patients and their family.  She enjoys training, provider observation and coaching, and professional presentations all around a common theme to integrate quality, safety, engagement and experience while improving outcomes.

Frank A. Smith, M.D.

Frank began his professional career as a consulting cardiologist over 40 years ago in a 3 person cardiology practice at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The practice subsequently grew and he was one of the founding members of its successor, Michigan Heart, a 55 provider cardiology practice now at multiple sites in southeast Michigan. After serving on the Board and as President of this group, he transitioned into Preventative Cardiology and developed a comprehensive Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Program partnering with the Pritikin Program at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Livingston, and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Chelsea. His other clinical interest is in improving provider's patient engagement through direct provider observation and coaching, and he has been a physician engagement coach for the last 4 years.