Patient Experience

In nonpsychiatric settings, primary care physicians consider 17% of their patients as “difficult,” particularly those who have anxiety or depression, according to research published Jan. 12 in Annals of Internal Medicine.  Researchers at Clement J. Zablocki Veterans’ Administration Medical Center…

National patient experience scores held largely steady in 2024, with modest improvements in several key areas. Compared to 2023, the latest HCAHPS data from CMS shows small gains in measures tied to staff courtesy, responsiveness and overall hospital ratings, while…

Missed appointments remain one of the most persistent (and costly) challenges in patient engagement. Even as healthcare organizations use more appointment reminders, online scheduling and other patient engagement tools, only 13% of medical groups have reported a decline in no-shows,…

As we come to the end of another year, the changes and challenges of 2025 could yield opportunities for patient experience work in 2026.   At the start of this year, we anticipated the launch of a new HCAHPS survey nationally.…

Every healthcare leader is thinking about burnout. Providers and administrators are overwhelmed by staffing shortages and other morale strains, which we know are compromising patient experience outcomes. But when we talk about “overwhelm” in healthcare, the staff/provider side is usually…

The chief experience officer role was first implemented at a health system in 2007 at Cleveland Clinic. Today, more than 50 hospitals and health systems across the U.S. have a CXO in their C-suite. The field of patient and customer…

Nearly 7 in 10 healthcare consumers will leave a review when texted or emailed, meaning a “passive reputation management strategy won’t cut it” for health systems, according to a Press Ganey report published Nov. 6.  Referrals historically defined a health…

As the White House withholds a portion of funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program amid the five-week government shutdown, health systems have pledged donations to local food banks.  The Trump administration agreed Nov. 3 to partially fund SNAP after…

Efforts to improve patient experience have risen on the priority lists of some hospital and health system C-suites, according to a report from Sage Growth Partners. The consulting firm surveyed more than 100 hospital and health system C-suite leaders in…

Across healthcare, the first interaction with a patient begins with a phone call. For decades, those calls have been the front door of patient access, the place where care begins. Yet phones have become a source of strain rather than…