Carmen Lafontaine, surgical coordinator
Carmen Lafontaine is a surgical coordinator in the Department of Otolaryngology at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Practice Management received emails from two patients within weeks of each other praising Carmen. Here are some of the highlights:
“Carmen has been extremely compassionate and patient with us during these past few months leading up to my surgery. It has been stressful and lots of work, but every time I was in conversation with Carmen, she made my family and I feel reassured and prepared for what’s next. We’ve had to reschedule the surgery multiple times due to external conflicts, and she was always looking for the best availability for us. She is a very hard worker, compassionate, and efficient with her work ethic.”
“I have been undergoing voice treatment for almost two years now. That said, I have had several procedures. Carmen has been my coordinator for all my procedures. I have always been comfortable speaking with her, which is so important, especially while going through a difficult time. She is super professional, reassuring, and also very friendly. She remembers my name, which tells me that she really cares about her patients. Carmen has consistently gone above and beyond. As a matter of fact, she and I were talking in the early evening recently in efforts to organize my next day 5:30 am surgery. I can’t say enough great things about her. I have been in human resources and recruitment for the last 20 years, and have some experience in identifying top talent. She is top talent! I don’t write recommendations often, but I have known her for almost two years now, and she has been consistently awesome.”
Lyudmila Milman, MPH, Senior Director, Department of Otolaryngology, echoes this praise. “A great example of Carmen’s greatness is that on a recent afternoon I had to find out information for an 8:30 am meeting the next day. I texted Carmen and got an answer with the information in minutes, with a ’No worries, it is not a bother’ response. Carmen is hard-working, dedicated, and responsible. She is always willing to go above and beyond for patients, her coworkers, and the Department.”
Carmen is humble in speaking about her commitment to the patient experience in the specialty, which is also known as Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT). “As an ENT surgical coordinator, it makes me extremely happy to be able to help our patients feel at ease before going into a surgical procedure, which I know can be nerve-racking. I like our patients to know that I will do whatever is necessary to make everything happen for them, because I love what I do!”