Improving Patient Satisfaction by Utilizing a Chief Experience Officer

With the rapid changes in healthcare and rising costs, improving the patient experience has emerged as a vital healthcare priority among all nations. Many healthcare organizations have responded by creating positions such as the Chief Experience Officer (CXO). This person can play a crucial role as the system champion to lead initiatives to help hospital staff, administrators, and executive leaders focus on patient satisfaction, thus leading to improved patient outcomes/experiences. A descriptive nonexperimental survey design was used to evaluate this project, with the aim of validating the positive influence of the CXO in improving patient satisfaction and experience within the Emergency Department (ED) at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), Germany. Interactive Customer Evaluation (ICE) surveys were completed by patients who received care in the Emergency Department at LRMC in Germany from August 2020 to May 2021. The two critical questions that capture the nominal variables of interest were “were you satisfied with your overall experience” and “did the product or service meet your needs.” After the CXO onboarding in Dec 2020, the rating for these two variables increased significantly, by 50%, within 30 days. To date, there has been little empirical research to validate the CXO position; however, this project was able to show statistical significance with a moderate association between the implementation of the CXO position and improved patient satisfaction, within the LRMC ED setting. The CXO can be a key enabler within any healthcare setting to elevate the culture to the next level