Community Health Network: Advancing experience management to enhance patient and caregiver outcomes

Community Health Network, an Indiana-based health system, was already achieving top patient experience metrics, but leadership recognized that their technology vendor and delayed data were limiting their ability to reach even higher levels of excellence. To address this, they partnered with Qualtrics and launched a multi-year, organization-wide experience management (XM) strategy. This initiative was designed to refine their Patient and Caregiver (Employee) Experience strategic plan, ensuring that every interaction contributed to their mission of enhancing the health and well-being of the communities they served.

Guided by a vision to deliver seamless, personalized experiences throughout the entire patient journey, the XM plan focused on five key strategic areas:

1. Patient Experience — Improving every patient touchpoint to create a more personalized and connected healthcare journey.
2. Caregiver Experience — Empowering caregivers with the tools, data, and support they need to thrive in their roles.
3. Digital Experience — Enhancing online and digital interactions to improve accessibility and engagement.
4. Brand and Market Research — Using data-driven insights to refine messaging and outreach efforts.
5. XM Program and Maturity Development — Establishing governance structures, a roadmap for continuous improvement, and long-term sustainability.

The plan detailed a multi-year roadmap of projects, a governance structure, and strategies for maintaining ongoing communication with caregivers. At the core of this initiative were the organization's guiding principles, which shaped every decision and action:

• A people-centered approach — Prioritizing the experiences of patients, caregivers, and prospective patients across all interactions.
• Data-driven decision-making — Using real-time insights to inform actions and improve care.
• Continuous improvement — Iterating and adapting experiences over time based on feedback and evolving needs.
• Transparency and accountability — Ensuring open communication, collaboration, and ownership across all teams.
• Equity and accessibility — Addressing barriers to care and reaching underserved populations.

Leveraging technology for holistic patient and caregiver journeys

As part of this approach, the organization prioritized understanding holistic patient and caregiver journeys, ensuring that experiences were viewed comprehensively rather than as isolated events. They embraced an iterative approach—striving for progress over perfection—by continuously refining and improving experiences through testing, adaptation, and scaling successful strategies. Additionally, Community emphasized the importance of co-creating solutions with caregivers and patients, fostering collaboration and communication to build trust and engagement.

To achieve these goals, the organization sought to make its vast amount of data more accessible and actionable, empowering caregivers with real-time insights into their impact on patient experience and outcomes. By leveraging Qualtrics’ technology, they integrated multiple data sources, uncovered deeper insights, and enabled meaningful action at both individual (1:1) and broader (1:many) levels. This shift allowed for a more proactive approach to patient engagement, ensuring that issues could be addressed before they escalated.

Recognizing the dynamic nature of healthcare, Community remained flexible, acknowledging that changes in consumer behaviors, technology, and market conditions might require re-evaluating and adjusting their plans. Importantly, they remained committed to reaching those who had not yet accessed care—prospective patients who were unaware of services, those facing barriers to scheduling, and individuals without access to technology. As with any strategic initiative, success depended on execution, not just planning. The organization’s ability to improve both caregiver and patient experiences relied on collaboration across teams and functions.

By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adhering to their guiding principles, Community strengthened its ability to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care. Their commitment to innovation, engagement, and real-time feedback ultimately reinforced their position as a leader in patient care, ensuring they continued to meet and exceed the evolving expectations of the communities they served.

Case studies: Real-world impact of the XM strategy

Enhancing patient experience across multiple touchpoints

Community has leveraged Qualtrics technology to improve patient experience from scheduling to post-care engagement. By integrating real-time patient feedback into EPIC /  electronic health records (EHRs), providers can personalize care and address concerns before they escalate. This proactive approach strengthens patient-provider relationships and improves overall care outcomes.

Reducing patient churn with data-driven interventions

By integrating medical records from EPIC with Qualtrics' automated systems, Community identified patients without recent primary care visits and proactively offered appointment scheduling assistance. This approach connected thousands to primary care, facilitating early disease detection and management. They expanded post-care surveys to include questions about connecting patients to primary care physicians, engaging over 10,000 patients for follow-up. This strategy improved patient health outcomes and strengthened patient-provider relationships.

Improving scheduling and access to care

Community recognized that the appointment scheduling process significantly impacts the overall patient experience. Traditionally, they relied on post-appointment surveys, which only captured feedback from patients who completed their visits, missing insights from those who faced scheduling challenges. To address this, they implemented a real-time Appointment Time Choice survey, integrated with their EPIC / Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system, triggering immediate feedback collection after a patient schedules or reschedules an appointment. This approach revealed that ease of scheduling is a significant predictor of overall (post-transactional) satisfaction, leading to actionable improvements in the scheduling process. By proactively addressing scheduling issues, Community enhanced patient access and satisfaction across their healthcare services.

Strengthening online reputation and digital presence

Leveraging Qualtrics' Experience Transparency and Google Reviews, Community ensured patient feedback was immediately reflected in their Google star ratings. This initiative led to a 238% increase in Google reviews and a 1.26-star improvement, bringing their average rating to 4.21 stars. To further enhance the patient experience, they utilized Qualtrics' Digital Intercepts to capture real-time feedback during online interactions, identifying and resolving issues in the appointment scheduling process. These strategic efforts helped Community improve patient satisfaction and strengthen its digital presence. Through proactive engagement, they created a more seamless and transparent healthcare experience for their patients.

Driving a 91% increase in caregiver survey response rates

Community has revolutionized its Caregiver (employee) experience and engagement surveying with Qualtrics, achieving an outstanding 91% increase in response rates. By leveraging Qualtrics’ advanced tools, Community has made it easier for employees to provide feedback, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.

As one of the first organizations to adopt Qualtrics AI, Community gained the ability to instantaneously analyze employee feedback, pinpoint critical issues, and uncover opportunities hidden within vast amounts of data. AI-driven insights empowered leaders to quickly identify hot spots and act with precision—making data more accessible, actionable, and less intimidating.

Community Health Network's XM transformation

Community Health Network’s commitment to experience management has redefined how they engage with patients and caregivers, making healthcare more accessible, responsive, and patient-centered. Through strategic collaboration with Qualtrics, they have leveraged technology to streamline operations, enhance engagement, and proactively address patient and caregiver needs. Their data-driven approach has not only improved key areas such as patient scheduling, online reputation, and primary care connection but has also empowered caregivers with AI-driven insights to create a more supportive and effective workplace.

As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, Community remains steadfast in its commitment to continuous improvement. By embracing real-time feedback, fostering a culture of collaboration, and prioritizing both patient and caregiver experiences, they are setting new standards for excellence in healthcare. Their XM strategy is not just about optimizing processes—it is about building meaningful connections, improving health outcomes, and ensuring that every individual who interacts with their network receives the highest quality of care. Through innovation, adaptability, and an unwavering dedication to their mission, Community is shaping the future of patient and caregiver experiences—one interaction at a time.