Lou Montana-Rhodes

Vice President, Office of Patient Experience ECU Health

Lou Montana-Rhodes (she/her), DNP, RN, is Vice President for the Office of Experience at ECU Health. With 20 years at ECU Health, she has served as Vice President of Nursing and the Office of Experience. Her education includes an ADN, MSN, and DNP from East Carolina University, specializing in Nursing Leadership.

Day 1: Rooted in Purpose: Reconnecting with the Why Behind PX

3:50 PM Keynote: Elevating Environmental Services as a Pillar of Patient Experience

Too often, Environmental Services (EVS) is viewed solely through the lens of cleanliness and compliance. But in reality, EVS staff are among the most frequent points of contact for patients—and play a critical role in shaping perceptions of safety, hospitality, and dignity.

In this powerful keynote, Lou Montana-Rhodes shares how ECU Health has reimagined EVS as an essential pillar of patient experience strategy. From embedding hospitality principles into training, to building real-time feedback loops and meaningful recognition programs, this session will explore how EVS teams can move from background to frontline impact.

Learn how to measure EVS impact on patient perception using HCAHPS, rounding, and service recovery data
Discover tactics for training, culture-building, and cross-departmental alignment that empower EVS staff as PX champions
Explore results from ECU Health’s experience-driven approach, including improved satisfaction scores, staff engagement, and organizational pride

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Lou.

Download The Latest Agenda