Check out September’s snapshots highlighting how
we put Human Understanding™ into practice.

Doubling Down on Hope Using New Thinking and Possibilities

NRC Health’s Patient No Longer podcast features healthcare leaders who inspire Human Understanding and a positive shift in the customer experience. The latest episode, “Where Do We Go from Here?” features Michael A. Slubowski, FACHE, FACMPE, president and CEO of Trinity Health. Trinity Health is a 22-state, 92-hospital Catholic health system with 120 continuing-care locations encompassing home-care, hospital, PACE, and senior-living facilities. 

Although the industry is going through a lot of change right now—and Slubowski believes the radical transformation the healthcare industry is currently experiencing is just the tip of the iceberg—his outlook starts with hope. He says that while change is inevitable and the future is complex, having a beginner’s mindset can help raise fundamental questions to make us think more clearly about what truly matters.  

“I think market forces are driving us to focus on the people we serve in a very different way, and will compel us to be even more person-centered, consumer-centric, member-centric,” he says. “And that’s why we think our brand promise—listening, partnering, and making it easy—while we’re far from that, it’s just something that we repeat. It’s a mantra to apply to almost everything we’re doing.”  

Currently, Slubowski says the organization’s continuous relationship with its patient-members, colleagues, and employees is at the top of its list of priorities. Next is the certainty of managing cost, and last is getting help from regulators to eliminate some of the playing-field disparities healthcare is experiencing today. While none of those priorities is necessarily new, Slobowski says that thinking differently has enabled his health system to be a leader. 

“Let me just start by saying it’s hard work,” he says. “It’s not going to be a cakewalk for any of us to go through this transformation. But we are focused on improving the world through values and activism and using technology to drive the capability to communicate and engage.” 

Learn more about listening to fellows and residents, and why it’s so important to get out of your comfort zone, in this episode of Patient No Longer.  

Don’t Miss NRC Health’s 2022 Symposium Highlights: Connecting Through Stories

We were pleased to host some of healthcare’s most important leaders during the 28th Annual NRC Health Symposium in Seattle. The Symposium jumpstarted the Human Understanding movement, with energy and ideas inspiring attendees to transform healthcare for everyone. 

Attendees from high-performing organizations listened to remarkable international speakers, with healthcare leaders helping us understand what matters to patients beyond the clinical encounter. From the principles of mass customization in healthcare to creating customer loyalty that endures, maximizing the impact of every customer touchpoint, and returning to the joy of caregiving, Symposium topics energized, inspired, and stirred participants to make lasting change.  

Stay tuned to our blog for upcoming articles highlighting some of these dynamic presentations. And don’t forget to check out all the Symposium highlights and save the date for NRC Health’s 29th Annual Symposium 2023 in Boston!  

Do Patients Prefer Texting as the Top Method of Healthcare Communication?

With the complexity and demands associated with healthcare delivery today, leaders at Houston Methodist engaged with NRC Health’s Human Understanding Program to better deliver the communication and metric capabilities they need to turn their strategic aspirations into action to improve care, enhance performance, and catalyze growth. 

As Houston Methodist focuses on learning patients’ communication preferences while obtaining consumer feedback, the organization has leveraged NRC Health’s Experience and Marketing capabilities to access more voices, engage more patients, and leverage the power of Human Understanding to enable more personalized care. The combined results? Patients and prospective patients prefer texting and email over automated phone calls. 

“The response rates are higher when texting, and email is comparable to automated phone calls, as much as 7 to 10% in most service lines,” says Courtenay R. Bruce, JD, MA, Houston Methodist’s Director of System Patient Experience.

Highlights on Outpatient + Magnet Survey Mode Pilot Evaluation: 

• The NPS numbers of all hospitals have increased since the start of the pilot 
• The response rate of SMS is lower than that of email; however, the two methods have comparable NPS scores 
• IVR appeared to have the highest response rate and lowest NPS 
• Regardless of age or gender, NPS scores for SMS appeared to be higher than for IVR 

Don’t miss the full solutions and results this exciting case study, which explains how patients appreciate and engage with personalized communication methods. 

How to Measure Personalization and Truly Humanize Healthcare

NRC Health Improvement Advisor Toya Gorley joined BayCare Health System’s Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Ed Rafalski, at the SHSMD 2022 Annual Conference to discuss BayCare Health System’s successful EasyPass loyalty program. The program exemplifies Human Understanding throughout the care experience.  

The conference offered NRC Health leaders and partners an opportunity to discuss new practices, solutions to complex challenges, and developments in the healthcare strategy field. After meeting industry leaders and contributing to conversations about hands-on solutions, NRC Health leaders entertained guests at Bobby McKeys’s Dueling Piano Show and had a wonderful time elevating the conference energy!