Investing in the Bottom Line: The Value Case for Improving Human Experience in Healthcare

Investment in human experience is imperative for healthcare organizations. It is a strategic focus that can lead to great benefits. Those that overlook experience, seeing it as “simply” about satisfaction or survey data, do so at great cost to their organization, team members, and most importantly those we serve – patients. A commitment to human experience – integrating the patient, workforce, and community experience – is essential for all healthcare organizations in realizing the goals they strive for and the impact they aspire to achieve. It leads to high-quality outcomes for those they care for. It creates a positive environment for those who show up to serve each day. It fosters trust from the communities they serve. It is a central driver for financial viability and operational sustainability. It is a driver of quality outcomes, safety, and workforce engagement. It fosters consumer loyalty leading to stronger payor relationships, increased physician referrals, and greater patient, family, and consumer choice. Ultimately, a commitment to experience is the path to realizing a viable and thriving future for healthcare organizations. The concept of value in healthcare as initially proposed focused on healthcare outcomes per dollar spent. The reality is healthcare is a complex system driven by not only what is spent or patient outcomes, but also by how healthcare organizations engage with patients as people, care for their workforce, and address the needs of the communities they serve. A value case is not one solely about clinical outcomes but about the comprehensive healthcare experience through which a much broader set of outcomes is achieved. This paper proposes a model for the value of investment in human experience as a practical bottom-line issue for healthcare leaders.