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C-suite zeroes in on patient experience. Here's why.
C-suite executives say better investment in digital and virtual care tools will promote a good patient experience and pay off with better clinical outcomes.
More hospital c-suite executives are prioritizing the patient experience in the coming years than ever before, with new data from Sage Growth Partners underscoring the role digital health will play in those plans.
Indeed, nearly half (49%) of the 101 c-suite executives surveyed ranked the patient experience as their organization's top strategic priority for 2025-2027. That's an increase from years past. In 2023, 36% of executives considered patient experience a top priority, while in 2022 that figure was 25% and in 2020 it was 14%.
It's perhaps no surprise that c-suite executives have steadily increased their focus on the patient experience, the report authors said. For one thing, driving virtual care delivery and boosting the patient experience are two areas that have driven the greatest growth for organizations in the past two years.
The dual investment in both areas is essential to success, the authors continued. Organizations increasingly see virtual and digital health tools as linked to the patient experience, especially as healthcare responds to changes in other service sectors driven by digital engagement tools.
For years, healthcare industry consultants have pressed the issue of leveraging digital tools to model other service sectors, all in the name of healthcare consumerism. Now, the report authors said, it seems as though organizations are ready to bet big on those investments.
Executives poised to drive digital health adoptions
Overall, 93% of the c-suite respondents said integrating virtual care into their care delivery models is at least somewhat important, with 31% of them saying it's very critical. That's likely because executives largely consider digital health as core to boosting patient engagement.
For example, 83% said digital health has at least some impact on the overall patient experience. Another 83% said it somewhat or significantly impacts patient engagement with care teams, while 82% said something similar about patient engagement with their own healthcare.
Currently, 59% of executives say their organization offers virtual primary care, 59% offer remote patient monitoring and 50% offer telestroke care. However, fewer than 30% earn significant ROI from the virtual services they offer.
Still, c-suite executives are bullish on the types of virtual care they plan to offer.
For example, executives say virtual care services such as virtual primary care (78%), inpatient virtual consults (78%) and virtual specialty care visits (76%) could improve patient access to care. Meanwhile, virtual primary care, hospital at home and virtual specialty care visits are considered promising for boosting patient satisfaction.
More specialized types of virtual care, such as telesitting (63%), telestroke (63%) and teleICU (63%), are considered a boon for patient safety.
Those good outcomes could translate to better performance in value-based care contracts, executives added, as these tools could support better clinical quality measures. Around two-thirds of c-suite executives said services like hospital at home could reduce length of stay and avoidable readmissions. Meanwhile, about half said the same about reducing hospital-acquired conditions.
In addition to boosting outcomes, integration of digital and virtual care tools is in service of an overall better patient experience. And according to the survey respondents, a better patient experience will be integral to organizations' bottom lines.
Better patient experiences boost patient loyalty
As patients become saddled with more of their healthcare costs, they also become responsible for more of their healthcare decisions -- including where they get their care. To that end, hospitals and health systems need to build patient loyalty.
C-suite executives are increasingly recognizing the role that a better patient experience, fortified by digital health solutions, can play in building brand loyalty. For example, 60% agree digital health tools can have an impact on patient acquisition and retention, while 70% say these technologies can give them a more competitive market position.
Notably, 64% said digital health tools strengthen a hospital or health system's brand.
That's because these tools translate into a better experience for patients, c-suites said in the survey. These tools can affect the clinical experience by preventing avoidable readmissions and improving clinical inefficiencies, but they can also boost the administrative experience.
Three-quarters of executives said digital health tools can positively impact administrative inefficiencies, and 73% said they can improve revenue collections.
Exploring the AI of it all
C-suite executives are excited about AI across the clinical spectrum, with many ranking implementation of AI tools for clinical and administrative use as two of their top five technology initiatives in the next two years.
But it's not just clinical and administrative services that executives are hopeful about. Respondents also said AI can help support virtual health initiatives and patient experience.
Specifically, 81% said AI will have a key impact on expanding home and remote patient monitoring initiatives. Another 71% said it'll deeply affect integration of virtual care into existing delivery models, and 49% said it'll be meaningful for the overall patient experience.
In addition to AI, c-suite executives are planning to rethink their virtual care service providers. Currently, organizations are mostly split between using their EHR vendor and a third-party to support their virtual services. About a fifth said they'll definitely need to invest in a new platform in the next 1-3 years, while 56% said they might.
All said, c-suite executives reported they'll want to ensure their virtual care systems integrate with the EHR and have ease-of-use improvements in the coming years. Incorporating AI into digital tools, boosting overall system performance and expanding or adding new services are also top-of-mind.
The report authors pressed executives to be mindful of their current ROI challenges as they design future patient experience platform innovations. Indeed, most organizations are missing meaningful ROI for their current investments.
"C-suites will need to determine how to balance their investments against challenges earning ROI. They also need to identify next steps in modernizing or replacing the core technologies that enable virtual care," the report authors advised.
"Finally, to realize the full promise of digital tools on the patient experience, they must take a step back and determine how to justify and maximize their investments," they concluded.
Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.
