When a peer uses the word “adore” to describe how your patients feel about you, it says something about the level of care you provide. 

Brian Greffe, MD, consistently achieves high scores on patient satisfaction surveys. It’s why Michael Narkewicz, MD​, nominated Dr. Greffe to be featured as a provider who exemplifies the Children’s Hospital Colorado Standards of Behavior Promise​. While everyone at Children’s pledges to provide excellence with integrity in all they do, Dr. Narkewicz believes Dr. Greffe is great example of a provider who goes above and beyond for his patients. 

“Brian is a compassionate, dedicated oncologist,” said Dr. Narkewicz. “He is calm, passionate and thoughtful in everything he does.”

As a pediatric oncologist, Dr. Greffe knows the most important thing he can do for his patients and their families is to make himself available. 

“When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it’s a very scary situation,” says Dr. Greffe. “It’s my role to get patients and families to understand the care plan and make it less scary.” 

Considering the fact that 80% of childhood cancer patients are cured, Dr. Greffe and his team focus on providing patients and their families with hope in every discussion. 

In fact, communication is the area in which Dr. Greffe believes he truly excels. He believes great communication is the key to helping families feel comfortable about the treatment provided. It’s something he and his team focus on each day. 

“Our team is critical. From the outpatient nurses to the social workers to the support staff, the team is essential to providing seamless continuity of care. Our goal is for our patients to always know who to contact for support,” says Dr. Greffe. 

Dr. Greffe believes he and his team also exhibit a commitment to quality and safety. Recently, the department improved processes surrounding the delivery of antibiotics to their patients. 

“When patients are receiving chemo, their white blood cell levels drop, which puts them at high risk for infection,” says Dr. Greffe. “We created processes to ensure that patients with a fever and low white blood cell levels are started on antibiotics within an hour.” 

Above all, Dr. Greffe believes being a good listener is what patients and families appreciate the most. 

“It’s critical to listen—to really hear about what’s going on,” says Dr. Greffe. It’s especially important for family members to feel heard. 

“My patients are amazingly resilient. They forge ahead and do the activities they like to do when they feel well,” says Dr. Greffe. “But their families often need someone to listen. Much of my time is spent with parents and siblings, going over the plan and providing reassurance that all is going well.” 

Congratulations to Dr. Greffe for receiving a PRC 5-star patient satisfaction rating in 2014 and modelling for all health care providers what patient- and family-centered care can mean.