3 ways AI can give patients an experience worth praising

Some current thinking has it that patient experience (PX) scores are the truest indicators of care quality. The notion is that PX trumps even clinical outcomes since the former often encompasses the latter: Patients tend to fill out satisfaction forms only after their episodes of care are complete and their outcomes known.

A new report from PressGaney justifies that thought process, noting that most “Likelihood to Recommend” scores have been trending upward since the pre-COVID baseline. The analyst-authors looked at data from more than 10 million patient encounters at more than 2,500 hospitals and almost 500,000 medical offices. 

The glaring exception was inpatient scores, which dipped by -2.2 points while others rose—medical practices by +2.8 points, ambulatory surgery centers by +1.7 points and emergency departments by +0.5 points. 

And even inpatient scores, despite their anomalous downward slope, ticked up +0.9 points year over year since 2019. 

“These gains point to the impact of targeted efforts around communication, coordination and access—especially in outpatient care, which tends to allow for more nimbleness than inpatient care,” the PressGaney analysts note. 

The researchers don’t focus on AI’s role in PX improvement. However, they offer three observations on the technology’s potential for maximizing patient experience scores.

1. Among AI’s most powerful contributions is its potential to ‘enable humanity’—amplifying empathy, connection and care. 

By delivering real-time insights and recommendations, AI “helps caregivers anticipate needs, respond swiftly and strengthen their connection with patients,” the report authors write. “Predictive rounding, for example, leverages data patterns to identify at-risk patients, making rounds more focused, purposeful and compassionate.” More:

‘Rather than replacing the human touch, AI amplifies it, enabling caregivers to spend more time with patients and optimize every interaction.’

2. AI helps organizations listen at scale. 

“By triggering service alerts from patient comments and digital feedback, care teams can resolve issues before they escalate,” the PressGaney analysts point out. “Integrating real-time patient experience data into the EMR can surface opportunities to recognize staff—allowing leaders to reinforce positive behaviors and strengthen team culture.” More:

‘In every case, the goal remains the same: to deliver care that is both technically competent and deeply personal.’ 

3. AI comment-summary widgets distill thousands of open-ended patient comments into clear, actionable themes.

“This helps care teams quickly identify what matters most, especially in complex settings like unplanned care,” the authors note before adding: 

‘Paired with human-experience (HX) integrations that capture feedback closer to the moment of care, these insights support faster action and more consistent performance.’

Download the full report, or read it in your browser, from here. 

 

• In other research news:
   
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  • The CHART Collaborative: Reporting guideline for chatbot health advice studies
     
  • Salk Institute: New AI tool illuminates ‘dark side’ of the human genome
     
  • University of Texas: ChatGPT helps speed up patient screening for clinical trials
     
  • Edith Cowan University: AI to revolutionize early disease detection
     
  • American Heart Association: Researchers awarded $10.5 million to study use of AI in addressing cardiovascular disease
     
• FDA approvals:
   
  • AI-based breast cancer risk technology receives FDA Breakthrough Device designation
     
• Funding: 
   
  • Ambience Healthcare announces $243M Series C to scale its AI platform 
     
  • Ultromics lands $55M Series C to tackle undiagnosed heart failure at scale