Health systems are testing new ways of improving patient experience by shifting operations to curate experiences.
“We recognize that no more than about 20% of patients respond to surveys, so we’re often using those responses to drive change that may not resonate with everyone,” Keisha Mullings-Smith, vice president and chief consumer experience officer at UChicago Medicine, told Becker’s. “We’re moving from reacting to patient experience survey responses and comments to proactively creating experiences, and now we’re at the point where we want to curate experiences.”
Curating patient experience
To create curated patient experiences, UChicago is looking at consumer preferences outside healthcare. They worked with an experience management company to build customer profiles using data from big retailers and hospitality groups. This has allowed the system to curate the patient experience in nontraditional ways, Ms. Mullings-Smith said.
In early 2026, UChicago partnered with some of the city’s highly rated restaurants to bring fine dining to its planned surgery patients, and expanded it to family birthing center patients. Before arriving, patients can select meals from these restaurants and have it delivered to their hospital bed.
“It’s also been important for us to enlist our staff to help us better understand what they’re hearing directly from patients who may choose not to share on a traditional survey,” she said.
Shifting operations for better patient experience
Worcester-based UMass Memorial Health is taking a structural approach to patient experience by launching several operational and technology-driven initiatives to create more connected, responsive and accessible care, Eric Alper, MD, senior vice president, chief quality officer and chief clinical informatics officer at the system, told Becker’s.
Operational changes include a post-discharge follow-up program in which care teams call patients after they leave the hospital to reinforce discharge instructions, address questions or concerns, identify potential issues early and create a smooth transition to the next phase of care, Dr. Alper said. The system also expanded its MyChart adoption to function across both inpatient and ambulatory settings to make information access easier for patients.
On the technology side, the system has expanded its remote patient monitoring and virtual care capabilities. Although the primary goal of these programs is to improve clinical outcomes, they also increase access to care, strengthen patient engagement and make interactions with healthcare more proactive and convenient — all of which improve patient experience, he said.
“The results of these efforts include stronger patient engagement, improved continuity of care, increased access to health information and care teams, higher patient experience scores and better outcomes through earlier intervention and more proactive care management,” Dr. Alper said.
