My ‘aha moment’ on patient experience

The recent HDM KLASroom series shared many patient experience success principles, from a top down patient-centered culture to reaching beyond patient care and engage patients’ families, but my aha moment came with recognizing the synonymous relationship between patient experience and clinician experience improvement initiatives.


This article is the first of a series providing observations, shared lessons and key learning principles from the HDM KLASroom virtual event, Traversing the Patient Experience Ecosystem.


In healthcare, more than any other industry, there is a palpable “Why we do what we do” purpose behind the actions of caregivers and administrators who give significant emotion into their workday in addition to their raw physical effort. The past two years have clearly demonstrated that frontline workers in healthcare have given their all to combat the pandemic and treat the sick. 

In this respect, many healthcare leaders have directed more of their time and effort into improving the patient experience. This was certainly the case last October, as I had the experience of sitting in the president’s office on the campus of the Medical University of South Carolina Health. It was an opportunity to capture a rare interview with Dr. David Cole, president of MUSC and Caroline Delongchamps, manager of MUSC Health’s patient and family advisory council program. 

It was an unusual opportunity, because Dr Cole and Delongchamps represent the ends of a spectrum of leadership in a health system, and even so, they were in agreement on the importance of patients being involved in their own care.

MUSC Health President, Dr. David Cole & Caroline Delongchamps, Manager, MUSC Patient and Family Advisory Council

As one of the most influential health systems in South Carolina, MUSC has tried to be a pioneer in offering a patient-centered approach to care. They have been successful by leveraging their patient and family advisory councils; PFAC members are volunteer patients and family members who spend time giving feedback to new developments within MUSC Health, which range from food and beverage offerings to the physical and technological flow of new buildings. 

This was certainly the case with MUSC’s Shawn Jenkin’s Children’s Hospital; engaging the PFAC became the No. 1 guiding principle. Frequent meetings with leadership teams provided insight on how to build a state-of-the-art children’s hospital, while having it feel like a home away from home for young patients who need such gentle care and their families.  

Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital: Amy Hauser, Administrator, Children's & Women's Health and Dr. Mark Scheurer, MD, the integrated centers of clinical excellence chief

MUSC could be dismissed as an isolated, extreme case. But last November, HDM and KLAS Research heard consistent themes from the 15 health systems presenting during the HDM KLASroom pilot series - all these organizations are leaders in this renewed focus on the patient experience. These organizations are passionate about putting the patient at the center of care. Having some time to digest these interviews and panel discussions, several key learnings surfaced. 


Key Learning No. 1: Patient and Family

Leading healthcare organizations have a newfound patient-centric focus and in response to that, they are renewing efforts to extend the circle of care beyond the patient to the patient’s family, or as Ed Marx, Chief Digital Officer of Tech Mahindra put it, the “village” that is caring for that patient.  

Christopher Kunney of Juno Health with Ed Marx, Chief Digital Officer, Tech Mahindra and Cris Ross CIO, Mayo Clinic

To these pioneering organizations, extending the care beyond the patient and creating an environment of patient and family care is taking new forms.  

For Banner Health, a 30-hospital health system, understanding the patient through a persona they call Patient Sofia helps the entire organization coalesce around an archetype of a patient who is not only a patient, but a patient who cares for other patients, like her mother and father, and children. 

Emily Paxman and Dan Czech of KLAS Research with Banner Health's Christopher Stallings, Senior Director, Consumer Digital

For Tampa General, a hospital with more than 1,000 beds, it takes the form of envisioning a hospital room of the future, which looks to become a dedicated space in which clinicians can experiment with care models and processes that enrich the hospital experience for not only the care team and patient but also the family.  

Emily Paxman of KLAS Research with Jeff Fallon, CEO, eVideon and Jason Swaboda, Associate Director, Emerging Technologies and Health Innovation, Tampa General

Key Learning No. 2: Patient-centered culture

Leading healthcare organizations have a patient-centered culture that starts at the top and is empowered at the bottom. During Episode 1 with Marx and Cris Ross, CIO of Mayo Clinic, these two cancer survivors and industry leaders shared many insights into a patient-centered culture.  

“[A culture of patient] experience is caught, not taught,” said Marx. It starts at the top; the leadership needs to embrace patient-centric care; they need to own the reach of care to the patient and families. It’s a culture.

Christopher Kunney of Juno Health with Ed Marx, Chief Digital Officer, Tech Mahindra and Cris Ross CIO, Mayo Clinic

Health system leadership emphatically needs to own patient experience. It is a strategic imperative of the institution, empowered from the very top down to the teams and individuals who focus on the patient experience. It’s a culture, not a program. 

For MUSC Health, it’s expanding the role of the patient and family to be defined literally as a part of the care team. 

Dr. David Zaas, CEO, MUSC Health, Charleston Division

For Tampa General it’s extending the Triple Aim to become a quadruple aim making sure that every team member is engaged in improving the patient experience. 

Emily Paxman of KLAS Research with Jeff Fallon, CEO, eVideon and Jason Swaboda, Associate Director, Emerging Technologies and Health Innovation, Tampa General

Key Learning No. 3: Patient experience and clinician experience initiative are hand-in-glove

Patient experience extends beyond the patient to the clinicians and caregivers. You can’t think about the patient experience without your next thoughts going to the clinician experience. Those are two sides of the same coin.  

This was the biggest "Aha Moment" from a series intended to focus on patient care. It was a constant theme from these leading organizations.

MUSC Health President, Dr. David Cole and Caroline Delongchamps, Manager, MUSC Patient and Family Advisory Council

Emily Paxman of KLAS Research with Jeff Fallon, CEO, eVideon and Jason Swaboda, Associate Director, Emerging Technologies and Health Innovation, Tampa General

It was truly an embarrassment of riches to sit among these leaders and hear them share lessons learned and success principles that drive their “why we do what we do” purpose throughout their organizations. A total of 45 thought leaders from more than 15 healthcare organizations came together to share tips and tricks to deliver better patient-centered care. Next week, we’ll dive deeper into these sessions and share more key learnings from these amazing organizations.  


The HDM KLASroom

Visit the HDM KLASroom and see the full presentations plus great supporting learning content from the series: Traversing the Patient Experience Ecosystem.

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