America’s large and well-trained health workforce, with its wide range of high-quality medical providers, produces many of the best medical outcomes in the world.  

Food is not just a source of nourishment but also a means of comfort. We all look forward to it, and in healthcare foodservice specifically, we know without a doubt that food impacts the hospital experience. Whether at home or away, we all enjoy having the freedom to choose what to eat and when to eat it. Allowing patients to have that same convenience during a hospital stay is important and can influence their overall outcome.

HCAHPS measures assessing hospital staff's responsiveness and hospital cleanliness fell the most during the pandemic as hospitals grappled with severe staffing shortages, according to a study published Aug. 25 in JAMA Health Forum.

Staffing shortages and workforce turnover continue to pressure healthcare organizations, contributing to a fractured patient experience. This disjointed experience is exacerbated by different parts of a hospital or health system working separately, in silos, with uncoordinated workflows and legacy technologies that don't work together.

Osteoporosis patients are at an increased risk of recurrent bone fractures, which increases costs for health systems and payers. [1],[2] Yet, care gaps that lead to missed opportunities for timely diagnosis and holistic pre- and post-intervention treatment are widespread across health systems and integrated delivery networks.[3]

After complaints piled up about "Meatless Mondays" at Boston-based Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, leaders pivoted to a new strategy: Removing the words "vegan" and "vegetarian" from the cafeteria's menu, NPR reported Aug. 11. 

NRC Health has identified 12 health systems, hospitals and medical groups that go above and beyond to provide excellence in patient experience, the healthcare data firm said Aug. 8.

CMS is making key changes to HCAHPS to modernize the survey and increase patient response rates, the agency said in its Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule released Aug. 1. 

When we talk about patient experience, we often speak about our work to make our organizations more "patient- and family-centered." This reflects the reality of real structural and cultural barriers that inhibit our ability to put the patient at the center of all we do. 

NRC Health has identified 100 top-performing hospitals through its annual healthcare consumer-perception survey, the healthcare data firm said Aug. 8.

Healthcare organizations are experiencing lower levels of trust by patients, partly as a result of misaligned communications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many healthcare leaders see the critical, timely need to regain that trust.

Community health providers play a crucial role in our society, providing quality healthcare that is inclusive and accessible to the communities they serve. To best meet their mission, they need a seamless business infrastructure that allows them to focus on the needs of their patients. That support system becomes even more crucial during stressed periods such as the pandemic and economic downturn.

With few exceptions, having to go to the hospital is not at the top of any individual's to-do list. However, long after the pain is gone and sutures have healed, patients remember how they were treated.

Some U.S. hospitals are embracing the idea of RV living for patients, families and staff members, providing on-site parking spaces and hookups for the vehicles, CBS News reported July 26.

The Ottawa Hospital and the Canadian Personalized Healthcare Innovation Network (CPHIN) are working together to build a health system that leverages data to empower collaboration and learning in support of delivering high-quality care at lower costs, while promoting the health of all Canadians. 

Use of comprehensive patient data in healthcare brings with it opportunities to transform clinical care. Nowhere is the potential greater than in precision medicine— which is using genomics to make medicine more precise and changing how care is delivered.

Linda Bosserman, M.D., joined City of Hope in Los Angeles nine years ago as a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer and value-based care.

All members of the Cleveland Clinic team are referred to as "caregivers," because every employee should be focused on patients regardless of their position. In fact, part of every person's job is to help deliver the highest quality care and provide the best patient experience, Stephanie Bayer, senior director of patient experience at Cleveland Clinic, told Becker's.

Recently named to the No. 2 position on Newsweek's "2023 Best Hospitals" list, Cleveland Clinic leaders know full well that their efforts to constantly improve patient experience are always under a microscope.

While timely access to care is important when it comes to outcomes and patient satisfaction, findings from an April national survey released July 11 by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners show 40 percent of 1,029 respondents said they have experienced "longer than reasonable" wait times in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. This percentage increased over 2022 survey findings.