Improving patient experience is a current strategic goal at many health systems. However, according to a HealthLeaders Media survey, over 31% of hospitals report changing organizational culture as the largest obstacle to this goal. Although adapting organizational culture is difficult in health care, it is also not impossible. Through dedicated management and organization improvement systems, real cultural change can be generated.

As identified by HealthLeaders Media, the appointment of a Chief Experience Officer (CXO) is the first step health systems should take in creating an excellent patient experience culture. The establishment of a CXO creates leadership accountability in driving a patient experience culture, and provides a dedicated leader to organize cultural change. Process management systems such as Lean or Six Sigma are also a major step towards driving a patient experience culture.

Some major findings of the survey included:

• Over 45% of surveyed hospitals have established a CXO position.
• 64% of health systems use process management methodologies such as Lean or Six Sigma
• The top three identified areas in which positive patient experience is the most important were discharge and follow-up (51%), the Emergency Department (50%), and Outpatient/Ambulatory visits (45%)

To see the full article from HealthLeaders Media, click here.