Understanding the patient experience – a complete guide

Patient experience encompasses every interaction a patient has as part of their healthcare journey.

Patient experience is from the moment when the patient schedules an appointment to engage with staff for follow-up care. It’s about how the patient feels throughout the entire healthcare process.

Every time a patient connects with a doctor, nurse, or staff at a healthcare facility, the patient ties this to their experience.

At its core, patient experience evaluates whether care is delivered in a way that is respectful, responsive, and tailored to individual preferences, needs, and values.

It stretches from access to health information and communication with clinicians to the quality of care received.

Dr. Mike explains patient experience well, stating, “Patient experience is about leading with a human-first mentality. Doctors need to understand the main reason why the patient is there and be present at the moment.”

Patient experience isn’t just about medicine—it’s about making patients feel seen, heard, and cared for.

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Patient satisfaction measures a different aspect of patient care.

While patient experience focuses on what actually happened during the care, satisfaction revolves around whether the patient’s expectations were met.

Dr. Mike further elaborates, “Two patients receiving identical care may rate satisfaction differently since expectations dictate satisfaction results.”

This raises an important point—is satisfaction the right barometer for effective healthcare?

It has been proven that focusing on experience leads to more actionable insights.

What is the difference between patient experience and patient satisfaction?

Patient satisfaction measures how well a specific healthcare service meets someone’s expectations. Healthcare providers seeking to better understand patient satisfaction would ask questions like:

• Did the appointment start on time? 
• Was the doctor professional? 
• Did we do okay?

Patient experience, however, dives deeper into the aspects of care that are most important to patients and measures whether and why healthcare providers and systems meet these needs. Healthcare professionals looking to gain insight into patient experience would ask questions like “Did the care team seem to know your medical history?” Or “Did this provider listen carefully to you?” 

This shift in focus redefines the goal, moving from satisfaction to fostering genuine trust and loyalty.  

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Building a personal connection with your patient isn’t just “nice to have “—it’s essential for better outcomes.

Understanding the patient experience is a gateway to driving patient-centered care and ensuring healthier communities. Here’s why it matters.

Improved outcomes

According to the National Academy of Medicine, human connections in healthcare directly improve patient trust and treatment adherence.

Our research at NRC Health shows  patient experience directly impacts trust, loyalty, and clinical outcomes.

For example, McLeod Health’s focus on post-discharge connections with patients resulted in a 5.4% improvement in HCAHPS scores for the Nurse Communication domain and a 33.6% improvement in readmission outcomes, proving that a focus on patient experience – asking the right questions to patients can improve healthcare outcomes.

Builds trust

Patients are more likely to trust providers and return for care when they feel valued.

In our research, the NRC Health team discovered that patients were 267% more likely to trust their healthcare providers if they reported listening to them, a key behavior measured when organizations focus on patient experience.

In turn, trust helps drive loyalty.

To help drive loyalty, healthcare facilities should focus on insurance coverage, previous experience, and convenient locations.

In a webcast with Dr. Geeta Nayyar, MD, MBA, and Patient Advocate Cheryl Marker, Cheryl shared, “Most patients want to feel acknowledged and validated. That first connection is crucial. Empathy goes a long way in making the patient feel seen and heard.”

Dr. Nayyar continues, “Trust is important. The holy grail for both physicians and patients is personalized medicine coupled with human understanding. If you don’t have human understanding, you’re lost at the door—you’re lost at ‘hello.’ That is really, really, really critical in asking those questions. That comes down to knowing your patient inside out,”

Watch the on-demand webcast on “Reimagining healthcare: A patient-provider conversation on trust, empathy, and human-centered care.”

Elevates reputation

At NRC Health, we conducted a study to understand if there was a connection between patient experience and hospital reputation. Our research uncovered that facilities with low patient experience scores are four times more likely to have poor reputation scores.

Financial impacts

A positive patient experience fuels growth.

Hospitals with higher patient satisfaction scores spend  5.6% less per patient than those with lower scores.

For years, healthcare leaders have treated patient experience as a “soft metric” or a moral imperative secondary to financial priorities.

Historically, patient experience improvements were tied to at-risk dollars like Medicare’s Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program, but this approach limits its true financial impact.

Patient experience metrics were evaluated against “at-risk” dollars tied to VBP payments.

While those dollars are essential, they significantly underestimate the true financial impact of improving patient experience.

The real ROI?

Growth in market share.

For example, the team at NRC Health modeled the finances of a hospital system with over 1,000 inpatient beds, generating $1.3 billion in annual net revenue.

Here’s an example of what this could bring to this hospital system:

• A 1% increase in patient loyalty can drive incremental revenue gains of $13 million. Think about that. A 5% increase could yield over $66 million.

And that’s focusing on just one aspect of ROI.

The NRC Health team also performed ROI studies with over a dozen facilities.

The studies show that patients rated their initial experience with a 9 or 10 NPS score reutilized services at significantly higher rates than those who rated their experience poorly.

The linked contribution margin?

Anywhere between $6 million to $13 million, depending on the health system.

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Delivering exceptional patient care goes beyond clinical expertise, it’s about creating meaningful, human-centered experiences at every touchpoint. At the heart of this approach are the ‘4C’s’ of patient experience, a simple yet powerful framework that helps providers foster trust, improve communication, and demonstrate genuine compassion.

1. Connect

Building trust begins with connection.

Whether it’s a warm welcome at the front desk or a calming conversation during an examination, meaningful connections make patients feel respected and valued.

Jon Roberts, MD, Pulmonology, Cystic Fibrosis Center, Driscoll Children’s Hospital, said it perfectly, “Despite the extensive training we undergo—medical school, residency, and fellowship—it’s the ability to connect with patients and families on a personal, human level that brings unparalleled satisfaction to this job.”

2. Check

Providers should actively check in with patients during consultations—asking questions like, “Do you feel heard? Are there any concerns I haven’t addressed?”

This ensures that communication is individualized and inclusive.

But the patient experience goes beyond the consultation, so organizations need to ensure they are checking in with patients across the entire experience.

Take a look at Tidelands Health.

Tidelands Health launched a patient app to offer checkpoints like scheduling appointments, paying bills online, and accessing more content.

Tidelands Health saw 30,000 downloads after launching the app.

3. Concern

Patients must feel that their well-being is the top priority. This includes demonstrating empathy about their fears and unknowns while proactively addressing challenges.

Dr. Sarah Gard Lazarus, pediatric emergency medicine doctor, shares how pivots to address patients in our Patient No Longer podcast.

“Empathy isn’t just a gift you’re born with; it’s a skill you can learn, refine, and teach, just like clinical exam skills.”

4. Commit

Commitment to follow-through is essential. Whether it’s leader rounding, contacting patients post-visit or offering transparent care plans, action builds trust.

UCI Health Experience launched a pilot rounding workflow program for providers and nursing teams.

The nursing teams saw a 2.2% increase in trust in just four months.

The “4Cs” foster lasting relationships—positively impacting patient loyalty and outcomes.

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Few things leave a positive impression like keeping patients’ schedules in mind. Quick response times and reduced wait durations highlight respect for patients’ time.

Children’s Mercy aimed to optimize their call center by benchmarking the number of abandoned call rates.

Children’s Mercy improved their three-minute wait time to less than a minute.

Children’s Mercy also saw an increase in new patient appointments scheduled within 14 days.

2. Easy access to health information

Simple online portals where patients can access test results, prescriptions, and health records are game-changers.

OSF HealthCare enables patients to stay informed without barriers.

OSF HealthCare saw a 52% increase in consumers who are likely to access the OSF HealthCare website to learn more about primary care.

This led to a 33% increase in consumers likely to switch to OSF HealthCare physicians/facilities.

3. A human touch

The difference between good and great healthcare often boils down to empathy. Providers who actively listen and communicate transparently leave lasting positive impressions.

The Infectious Disease Clinic at Children’s Minnesota increased NPS sores by 2.9% in five years by focusing efforts on ensuring patients felt they were receiving sufficient information.

Shanna McCann, Patient Experience Coach at Children’s Minnesota, shared, “We work with each and every patient and family to understand them as a unique individual and deliver that unique experience. We connect and interact in those micro moments that make experience come alive for patients and families.”

4. Team-based approach

Successful facilities recognize that healthcare is a team effort. From nurses to care managers, aligning everyone’s efforts around one clear goal enhances the overall experience.

Bryan Health sends congratulations and thank you cards to recognize its employees.

Missy Bartels, Director of Critical Care Services—Stroke, Trauma, and Pastoral Care at Bryan Health, shares, “High employee engagement goes hand-in-hand with patient experience,” says Bartels. “Those building blocks together make the patient experience just skyrocket.”

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What if we told you that improving patient care isn’t just about better medical outcomes but about transforming how patients feel throughout their healthcare journeys?

The truth is that patients remember the way they’re treated as much as they remember their treatment.

Improving patient experience doesn’t just mean upgrading technology—it requires a human-centered approach at all levels. Here’s how.

1. Every minute matters – reduce wait times

For patients, a lengthy wait feels like a sign their time isn’t valued.

Keeping them informed and comfortable transforms an inconvenience into an intentional experience. Here are solutions for your wait time woes:

• Leverage technology to optimize appointment scheduling and reduce delays. Tools powered by AI, such as appointment prediction apps, can reduce idle time significantly.
• Clearly communicate expected wait times—whether through text updates, digital screens, or a simple apology from staff when delays occur.
• Upgrade your waiting area with thoughtful amenities like charging stations, comfortable seating, or even streaming services to create a more enjoyable environment.

Real-world example:

UCHealth offers patients a virtual assistant, Livi, to review test results, appointments, and reminders.

Fast fix:

If delays are unavoidable, offer patients a warm beverage or bottled water and frequent updates—the personal touch matters.

2. Reimagine communication to build trust

Miscommunication costs trust—and in healthcare, trust is everything.

Patients often feel overwhelmed and confused, especially when confronted by medical jargon or fragmented explanations of their conditions and treatment plans.

Here are a few ways to think about how you can improve communication with patients:

• Replace jargon with plain, patient-friendly language. For example, instead of “hypertension,” say “high blood pressure.”
• Actively listen to patients. Don’t cut them off—acknowledge their concerns first.
• Train staff to ask open-ended questions like, “How are you feeling about this next step?” to encourage patient engagement.

Real-world example:

Bryan Health has pioneered patient-centered communication by using Nobl to predict whether a patient will have a positive or negative experience during a hospital stay. It allowed nurse and clinician rounding to improve the quality of the patient’s experience and create a more personalized approach.

Fast fix:

Provide every patient a quick summary of their visit—explaining key takeaways in writing or verbally before they leave.

3. Leverage technology to create convenience

Today’s patients expect digital-first solutions. They want fast access to their information and services at their fingertips.

Here are ways to incorporate tech-friendly strategies into your healthcare organization:

• Provide online scheduling tools and medical record access.
• Offer telehealth appointments for increased flexibility.

Simplify prescription refills with online platforms or automated pharmacy alerts.

Real-world example:

At a health network in the Midwest, they launched an automated platform with IVR technology to reach 100% of patients within one day of discharge. This allowed medical teams to be notified and intervene to resolve patient issues immediately.

Fast fix:
Start by making appointment rescheduling available online—it’s a small change with a big impact on patient satisfaction.

4. Use patient feedback to drive empathy

Empathy isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it’s a healthcare superpower. Patients want to feel seen and heard, not rushed or dismissed.

Healthcare organizations can close gaps and improve care by actively collecting and interpreting patient feedback.

Here are ways to bring empathy to the forefront with patient feedback:

• Train staff to address not only physical concerns but also underlying emotional challenges. “How is this condition impacting your daily life?”
• Maintain eye contact and use body language that conveys respect and understanding.
• Administer short, real-time surveys. Ask questions addressing the frequency of patient-centered behaviors exhibited during the experience and include open-ended questions like, “What else would you like to say about your experience?”
• Use AI tools to analyze feedback trends quickly and identify pain points.
• Most importantly, act on the feedback—show patients that their voices drive tangible changes.

Real-world example:

At Dayton Children’s Hospital, they leveraged NRC Health’s patient experience solutions to maintain high standards of care.

Using NRC Health’s automated survey tool, they received actionable feedback from patients within hours. Using data and commitment to patient satisfaction, Dayton Children’s is well-prepared for future Magnet redesignations.

Fast fixes:
Dedicate 2–3 minutes of every appointment to simply ask, “Is there anything else I should know about your experience?” This alone makes patients feel valued.

Send patients a friendly follow-up text prompting them to leave feedback—it’s easy for them and invaluable for you.

5. Empower patients through collaboration

Patients want to feel like partners in their care, not bystanders. Shared decision-making fosters trust and results in better engagement.

Here are steps to improve patient collaboration:

• Educate patients by providing clear and concise information about their diagnosis and potential treatments.
• Use visual aids like diagrams or app-based tools to explain options in a more digestible format.
• Respect patient preferences and values—encourage questions like, “What matters most to you during this experience?”

Real-world example:

Driscoll Children’s Hospital adopted the ‘Communicate with H.E.A.R.T’ customer service program from The Cleveland Clinic. After implementing this new approach, Driscoll went from 55% to 80% in patient survey scores.

Fast fix:

Equip staff with digital tablets to show patients simplified, interactive models about their conditions and treatment paths.

6. Invest in staff training for positive care delivery

Great patient experiences start with great staff. Healthcare professionals who feel supported in their roles communicate and perform better.

Here are ways to train your hospital staff to inspire excellence:

• Host workshops on patient-centered communication and empathic interactions.
• Implement ongoing programs to keep clinicians updated on the latest tools and techniques.
• Recognize and celebrate staff who go above and beyond to enhance patient satisfaction.

Real-world example:

McLeod Health introduced quarterly PX improvement awards using the results from NRC Health’s patient surveys. The result was not only happier patients but also reduced provider burnout.

Fast fix:

Share patient stories of positive interactions in team meetings to inspire your staff to prioritize exceptional care.

7. Adopt HCAHPS standards

HCAHPS directly impacts your hospital’s reputation, reimbursement rates, and community trust.

For hospitals, improving these scores controls not just financial outcomes due to value-based purchasing but also creates long-term brand equity in an increasingly competitive market.

Here are ways to train your hospital staff to inspire excellence:

• Host weekly “Huddle Sessions” where departments review one key piece of recent feedback and brainstorm practical solutions. This keeps feedback actionable and encourages team accountability.
• Start “hourly rounding” initiatives where nurses proactively check on patients at regular intervals to address their needs. It’s simple but highly effective in driving up responsiveness metrics.
• Add daily care plans or updates to the bedside whiteboard to proactively close the loop on patient concerns.

Real-world example:

PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital implemented a bedside shift report strategy by improving handoffs at the bedside, introducing themselves to patients, checking armbands, and much more.

Within months, PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital positively impacted HCACHPS scores.

Fast fix:

Use AI-powered patient alert systems that prioritize tasks for on-duty staff. AI platforms can triage incoming requests, ensuring that critical alerts get top priority while other tasks can be rerouted or delayed.

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Measurement is crucial for identifying pain points and fostering lasting improvements. Here are methods for tracking patient experience effectively:

1. CAHPS Surveys: Tools like CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) measure patient-centered care and provide powerful feedback for process improvement in higher acuity settings.
2. Real-time surveys: Listen to patients at various touch points before, during, and beyond care experiences via digital methodologies and QR codes.
3. Focus groups and interviews: These qualitative approaches build a nuanced understanding of patient needs.
4. Employee experience: Continuously listen to employees to gauge their engagement and gather feedback that can be used to improve patient-centered care.
   

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Improving patient experience is no longer a luxury but a necessity that defines the future of healthcare.

Communication, empathy, and innovation are not only tools for better care—they are the foundation of trust, the currency of patient loyalty.

At the heart of every great healthcare organization is a commitment to treating people, not just symptoms. It’s time to take the first step toward delivering the patient care your organization aspires to achieve.

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Want to explore tailored solutions for optimizing your patient experience? Contact us today and discover how your healthcare practice can thrive by caring for what matters most—your patients.