Connect to Care: Happy Patient Experience Week

Healthcare is full of connections. Patients connect with caregivers, caregivers connect with each other and their patients, and we all connect with the latest technologies and best practices to provide the best possible care. It’s a complex web of people, activities, culture, and values that supports the work we at HCA Healthcare do – and the stronger the connections, the better the patient experience.

Culture of Caring

First and foremost, we connect with our patients. A true, personal connection gains a patient’s trust and sets up the relationship for success. Culture is highly important to these “people” connections. We hire the right individuals with the right ideology and attitude to make real connections day in and day out with our patients.

Commitment to the Work

Then we connect with the work itself, which requires technical and clinical competence. We have to know what our body of work consists of and what needs to be done today to create a better experience for our patients. We have to be cognizant of best practices and know how to execute them. This ensures our connections remain strong.

Connecting the Dots

And of course there’s the connection between these two efforts – culture and work. Each must be of the highest caliber and each must be held equally accountable for achieving our desired outcomes for each other, our patients and the communities we serve. We cannot deliver a world-class patient experience without both a culture of caring and a commitment to the work.

This week is Patient Experience Week and we’re taking our mission – above all else we are committed to the care and improvement of human life – and making “one word commitments” to our patients. The work alone doesn’t deliver exceptional patient experience. It is the caregivers’ responsibility – that’s everyone inside the hospital walls – to create deeper connections and nurture the culture of care that HCA Healthcare and its affiliates are known for.

My one word commitment is EMPATHY. What’s yours? Share your commitments on social media using #HCACommitted2Care

 HCA Healthcare 50th Anniversary
In 1968, HCA Healthcare was conceived by two physicians and an accomplished business leader — Dr. Thomas Frist Sr., Dr. Thomas Frist Jr., and Jack Massey. This year, HCA Healthcare celebrates its golden anniversary and the culture of caring established by our three founders 50 years ago. To help us celebrate our 50th year, we’ll share stories here that reflect HCA Healthcare’s mission – above all else, the care and improvement of human life – and our pledge to improve life and make history for the next 50 years and beyond.

Lyn Ketelsen

Chief Patient Experience Officer