For those who have followed my thoughts over the last few years, you may not be surprised to hear me suggest that patient experience matters in healthcare today. It matters for those we care for and serve, and it matters to all those working each and every day to provide the best in care at all touch points across the healthcare continuum. 
I also maintain that we need to change our mindset about patient experience itself. I believe when we address the topic of patient experience we are talking about something much broader than the “experience of care” as identified in the triple aim. I suggest the idea of experience reflects our biggest opportunity in healthcare, where experience encompasses quality, safety and service moments, is impacted by cost and the implications of accessibility and affordability, is influenced by the health of our communities and populations and by both private the public health decisions that have systemic implications.
I also believe it is reflective of what we found in our research at The Beryl Institute on the state of patient experience itself; that the drivers of experience excellence are grounded not just in process excellence, but also in the very fibers that comprise our healthcare organizations and systems. That is the culture and leadership (at all levels) that drive how decisions are made, how interactions take place and how outcomes are achieved.
The significance here is that while the focus on experience has increased as a policy-driven reality--not just in the U.S. but also in other healthcare systems abroad--it has become an active and viable business reality. I cannot speak to a healthcare leader today who does not mention being bombarded by calls about the latest and greatest experience or patient engagement resource. We have seen a proliferation in efforts to provide services and solutions as well with consolidations in consulting both big and small. Even publicly traded entities tout their focus on patient experience above all else.
In addition to policy and product, we also see the expansion of research itself. In a simple search of Google Scholar for the term “patient experience” in research article titles, you will find an astronomical increase from just seven in all of 2000, to 11 in 2005, to now 261 in a 2015 not yet over. That is an increase of almost 2,300 percent in a decade. This alignment of focus in policy, consumer and research streams all return us to one simple point: Experience is no longer a fad, but now is central to what we look to achieve in healthcare.
So what are the outcomes we can and will drive with a focus on experience excellence? I offer four central ideas, which the growing literature and evidence is showing to ring true. When we focus on experience in the broadest sense, I suggest we can and do achieve the four outcomes all healthcare leaders aspire to. They include:
Positive clinical outcomes. The Beryl Institute’s benchmarking research reported clinical outcomes as most impacted by patient experience excellence, and a growing body of evidence shows the positive clinical effects of a great experience.
Strong financial outcomes. Examinations of the financial benefits of experience excellence are expanding as well, and an understanding of readmissions and other reimbursement implications all drive the conversation that experience is a bottom-line issue.
Strong consumer/brand loyalty. As in any industry, positive experience creates not just positive encounters, but lasting memories and expanded commitments. People make choices as consumers to go where they are treated with dignity and respect, and where they get the highest quality experience. In a value-based world, consumer choice matters even more and cannot be left to chance.
Positive community reputation. As much as healthcare is a national or even global issue, it also remains strongly tied to its local roots. Healthcare organizations are highly visible parts of their communities, and their standing comes not just from event sponsorships or presence, but from the very outcomes they offer and the stories these generate in the communities they serve. Reputation drives choices and is driven by the best in experience.
While I offer these four outcomes as distinct points, it should be acknowledged that they are deeply linked, as the effects of one have strong ripples on the others. If we strive to maintain and even elevate the focus on experience excellence in our healthcare organizations, it is important we move beyond this discussion as something nice to do, to something we must do. And if we agree that a strong experience effort has far-reaching implications and the potential for the most fundamental outcomes in healthcare, then the case should be easy to make and the argument short at best. An investment in a strong and positive patient experience is the leading choice we can and should be making in healthcare today. The results of this decision can only lead us to even greater results. I believe that is all we would wish for ourselves, our families and those we care for and serve.
Jason A. Wolf, Ph.D., is president of The Beryl Institute, a global community of practice focused on patient experience improvement and founding editor of Patient Experience Journal. Follow Jason @jasonawolf, The Beryl Institute @berylinstitute and Patient Experience Journal @pxjournal on Twitter.