The vital role of CXOs in transforming PX in healthcare
The PX healthcare industry is at the edge of a transformation, and at its heart stands the growing role of the Chief Experience Officer (CXO).
Charged with championing patient satisfaction and care team well-being, CXOs are positioned to lead healthcare organizations toward a future where patient experience drives operational, financial, and cultural success.
Drawing from insights shared by Jennifer Baron, CXO at NRC Health, in a recent episode of the Patient No Longer Podcast, we’ll uncover what the “X” in CXO truly signifies today.
We’ll explore how CXOs navigate a post-pandemic healthcare landscape, the symbiotic relationship between CEOs and CXOs, and how innovation—mainly through data-driven and AI tools—shapes the next chapter for healthcare leadership.
To learn more about the evolving role of CXOs and discover forward-thinking insights into healthcare transformation, listen to the Patient No Longer podcast episode with Jennifer Baron.
Expanding the definition of "X" in CXO from the Chief Patient Experience Officer
What does the “X” in CXO truly signify in modern healthcare?
For Jennifer Baron, the “X” represents far more than just “experience.”
The role of the CXO has grown exponentially over the years, evolving far beyond its initial conception as a “Chief Patient Experience Officer.”
“The CXO’s role is to really see the people behind the processes,” Jennifer shares.
She emphasizes that the CXO is tasked with focusing on the experiences of individuals navigating the often complex healthcare system.
Importantly, this role also involves empowering other leaders to adopt a people-first perspective, cultivating a culture of empathy and care.
Before the pandemic, CXOs primarily focused on optimizing patient experiences.
However, as COVID-19 brought healthcare systems to a breaking point, CXOs pivoted.
They expanded their outlook, focusing more on the patient care team experience. Ensuring the well-being of frontline staff became as essential as delivering exceptional patient care.
This change highlighted a crucial truth in healthcare transformation: a positive patient experience begins with a supported and engaged care team.
Jennifer Baron describes the CXO’s role as unique in its mission to see “the people behind the processes.”
This dual focus is now at the core of the CXO’s evolving responsibilities.
Baron explains, “There’s no other role within health systems that has this responsibility full-time. The CXO positions human insight at the center of the organization’s strategy, ensuring these experiences are as navigable and empathetic as possible.”
How the pandemic redefined the CXO’s scope
COVID-19 acted as an accelerant for reshaping the CXO’s responsibilities.
Before the pandemic, many healthcare experience teams focused almost exclusively on improving patient interactions.
However, as the crisis unfolded, these teams—and their CXOs—quickly pivoted to include care team experiences within their priorities.
Baron emphasizes that the pandemic highlighted the importance of all-round organizational resilience.
CXOs stepped up to ensure that care for caregivers was at the forefront of priorities.
Stress, burnout, and workplace challenges became key focus areas for experience teams, integrating well-being efforts directly into the healthcare culture.
Additionally, COVID brought CXOs into more operational conversations than before.
Whether partnering closely with HR executives to streamline employee wellness initiatives, addressing emerging safety protocols, or rethinking patient engagement practices in a digital-first environment, the pandemic elevated CXOs from just patient experience specialists to strategic leaders.
“The pandemic underscored the value of connecting every piece of the healthcare ecosystem back to the human experience. CXOs became critical allies during this transformation, helping organizations ground innovation in empathy,” says Baron.
The pilot and co-pilot dynamic: CXO and CEO collaboration
A thriving healthcare organization hinges on the synergy between its leaders.
Jennifer Baron compares the CXO-CEO relationship to a pilot and co-pilot, emphasizing that the partnership is essential for operational and experience successes.
“Cultures are changing very quickly right now,” Jennifer notes. “It’s really important for the CXO and the CEO to be partners in understanding and designing those experiences together.”
A CEO’s role is to steer an organization strategically, while the CXO ensures that the organization aligns with human-centered principles.
For this partnership to thrive, there must be shared accountability and an openness to data-driven decision-making.
Baron highlights the benefit when “a CEO dives into feedback data [to] truly understand where an organization sits today and predict where it needs to move tomorrow.”
This collaborative approach ensures patient experience strategies are informed by tangible metrics, helping organizations create robust, real-time solutions.
When designed with intention, this partnership can shape organizational cultures, reframe healthcare goals, and position patient experience at the forefront of institutional evolution.
Looking ahead: The role of AI in CXO-led healthcare transformation
The future of healthcare leadership, according to Baron, will inevitably involve artificial intelligence.
Over the next 12 to 18 months, AI will redefine patient care workflows, offering CXOs opportunities to refocus priorities on coaching, training, and skill-building.
Baron argues that AI isn’t just a tool for automation; it’s an enabler for unlocking human potential.
She envisions CXOs leveraging AI insights to identify gaps in workflows, highlight stress points for care teams, and design more efficient, scalable systems—all with improved empathy and professionalism.
However, such shifts require experience teams to step up as “coaches” and “skill-builders,” helping care providers adapt and thrive in new, AI-driven environments.
For patient experience teams, the challenge will be not only in implementing AI tools but also in supporting teams as they adapt.
Healthcare professionals who have spent their careers working within legacy workflows will need guidance to make the transition seamless.
“AI will take administrative burdens off the table, allowing professionals to focus on care and human connection. It’s going to be a shift, but one that ultimately enriches the experiences we can offer,” explains Baron.
5 steps toward building an impactful CXO strategy in healthcare
For organizations to harness the full potential of the CXO role, a few key considerations come to light:
1. Building alliances within leadership
CEO and CXO partnerships should be cultivated at every stage, ensuring alignment across both strategy and execution.
2. Prioritizing care team engagement
CXOs must recognize care teams as essential stakeholders. The better supported they are, the higher the quality of care patients receive.
3. Leveraging data for long-term improvements
Patient experience data should not be limited to measuring patient satisfaction. Organizations should use it strategically to inform cultural shifts and predict challenges.
4. Investing in future-forward technology
By adopting tools like AI, healthcare experience teams should aim to simplify workflows, boost efficiency, and create meaningful engagement systems.
5. Redefining patient satisfaction metrics
Moving beyond patient satisfaction scores, success for CXOs should include care team wellness benchmarks, operational improvement KPIs, and long-term cultural change indicators.
The CXO’s role in shaping the healthcare of tomorrow
The CXO isn’t just a “nice-to-have” role anymore; it’s a driver of transformation.
By situating human experiences at the center of the operational narrative, CXOs are bridging the gap between care delivery and the deeply personal journeys that impact trust, loyalty, and well-being.
Healthcare organizations investing in this expanding role are not just setting the stage for operational efficiency—they are fostering trusted relationships with patients, their families, and care teams.
And perhaps most importantly, they are creating cultures where empathy and innovation go hand in hand.
For healthcare executives and providers reading this, how is your organization supporting the CXO role in driving meaningful change?
It may be time to elevate its importance and invest in the tools and collaboration necessary to maximize its impact.
Listen to the full episode with Jennifer Baron, or catch the episode on YouTube.