How do we make sure hospitals are truly listening to the people they serve?

In this episode, I am joined by Jill Adolphe from Planetree to talk to Barbara Lewis, a powerhouse advocate for the patient voice and founder of Healthcare PX. What started as a personal tragedy for Barbara became a mission to elevate how hospitals engage with patients and families through PFACs (Patient and Family Advisory Councils).

We discuss why PFACs too often become symbolic and how, with the right metrics and leadership support, they can become engines of real change. Barbara shares what the best-performing councils do differently, why measurement is everything, and how hospitals like Kaiser Permanente have set a gold standard.

We also talk about the future of PFACs and why they must evolve alongside digital health, AI, and new care models. It’s also time healthcare catches up with other industries in valuing customer feedback.

Barbara is the author of the book: The Marketing Success Book. Interested in researching hospital Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs), she went back to school, obtaining a PhD from UNLV School of Public Health in 2025, where she currently teaches. Her dissertation was a mixed-method study on Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs).

🎧 Listen now and learn how to prove the value of the patient voice and PFACs!

Key Takeaways

Introduction (00:00)

Barbara Lewis’s journey and research (01:17)

Defining success for PFACs (05:51)

Challenges and barriers in PFACs sustainability (08:39)

Best practices for high-performing PFACs (10:43)

Demonstrating financial and operational value in PFACs (11:34)

Recruiting and retaining diverse PFAC members (15:04)

Integrating PFACs into hospital governance (17:33)

PFAC accelerators and outcomes (19:18)

Future of PFACs and best practices (20:45)

Q&A session (28:19)

Additional Resources

Healthcare PX Website: https://healthcarepx.org/

Barbara Lewis LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaralewisjfbr/

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Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/

Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/

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Unlock the power of our HUMAN Brand™ insights model for enhanced patient, team member, and care provider experiences: https://fidelumhealth.com/

Learn how Planetree can help your organization deliver person-centered care at: https://www.planetree.org/

In this Humanizing Healthcare Live episode, we talk with Jeremie Saunders, Patient Advocate and C-Founder of the SickBoy podcast, about Laughing in the Face of Illness. Recorded at the 2025 Planetree Person-Centered Care Forum in Baltimore, MD on October 7, 2025.

In this Humanizing Healthcare Live episode, we talk with Allsion Pugh, Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University, about how the Urgency of Connective Labor & Human Value in the Age of AI. Recorded at the 2025 Planetree Person-Centered Care Forum in Baltimore, MD on October 6, 2025.

In this Humanizing Healthcare Live episode, we talk with Edison Bond, Chief Experience Officer at Episcopal Health Services, about how they Advocate for Patient-Centered Care Through Health Equity. Recorded at the 2025 Planetree Person-Centered Care Forum in Baltimore, MD on October 6, 2025.

In this episode of Humanizing Healthcare, I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Laura Cooley, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Patient Experience.

If you care about making healthcare feel more personal and not like you’re just part of a system, you’re going to love this conversation.

We discussed what it means to humanize care in a time when AI and tech are rapidly changing everything. AI can be a force for authentic interaction.

She also gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how her journal is evolving to include patient stories and industry insights that make the data feel human.

We talked about trends in patient experience, what’s working (and what isn’t), and how healthcare pros can demonstrate their value in a world that often measures everything… except compassion.

🎧 Listen in!

Key Takeaways

Introduction (00:33)

Guest intro: Dr. Laura Cooley (02:15)

Laura’s career origin story (04:27)

How the Journal of Patient Experience started (06:31)

Key trends in recent patient experience research (11:38)

AI vs. human connection in care (14:58)

Future of patient experience roles (17:08)

Reclaiming time for “authentic interactions” (23:50)

Emerging metrics: trust, warmth, narrative feedback (26:13)

Biggest misconception: patient experience is just a metric (28:30)

Additional Resources

Dr. Laura Cooley’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracooleyphd/

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Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/

Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/

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Unlock the power of our HUMAN Brand™ insights model for enhanced patient, team member, and care provider experiences: https://fidelumhealth.com/

Learn how Planetree can help your organization deliver person-centered care at: https://www.planetree.org/

I am so pleased to introduce Lisa Griffin, the Chief Consumer Officer at University Hospitals. In this role, she leads the organization’s commitment to improving the patient experience and making healthcare more accessible and equitable for patients.

Her mission is to make healthcare feel as personalized and accessible as any other service in your life.

She’s not only modernizing the infrastructure behind patient access but also changing the mindset entirely. She believes that patients are consumers with choices, and healthcare should meet and possibly exceed the standards set by other industries.

We talk about how AI is making healthcare more accessible without replacing human empathy and how predictive analytics tools are helping them reach patients before they even know they need care.

🎧 Listen in to hear how Lisa is enhancing the patient experience at University Hospitals and what health systems can learn from what she is doing.

Key Takeaways

Introduction (00:00)

Why Lisa chose healthcare (02:51)

What “Chief Consumer Officer” really means (05:41)

Top priorities at University Hospitals (08:48)

AI in action – Enhancing call centers, pre-cert, and physician note-taking (11:07)

Balancing tech and empathy (17:46)

Emerging tech trends in healthcare (23:11)

Advice for future leaders (27:20)

Q&A session (30:24)

Additional Resources

Lisa Griffin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-griffin-mba-cccm-b90823189/

University Hospitals: https://www.uhhospitals.org/

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Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/

Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/

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Unlock the power of our HUMAN Brand™ insights model for enhanced patient, team member, and care provider experiences: https://fidelumhealth.com/

Learn how Planetree can help your organization deliver person-centered care at: https://www.planetree.org/

What if nursing homes felt more like real homes and actually improved lives?

In this episode, we talk with Susan Ryan, CEO of the Center for Innovation, about reimagining eldercare through person-directed living and human-centered design.

Susan brings decades of experience in nursing and eldercare transformation. She was instrumental in scaling the Green House Project, a nonprofit that replaces institutional nursing homes with small, self-contained homes that foster dignity, choice, and connection.

She walks us through the mission of the Center for Innovation and how their work alongside the Pioneer Network is shifting the culture of long-term care nationwide.

Susan also shares how their “beliefs, behaviors, and systems” framework helps redesign care environments and empower caregivers in ways that improve well-being for everyone involved.

🎧 Tune in to hear how The Center for Innovation in Eldercare is changing the game in eldercare and what leaders across healthcare can learn from their model.

Key Takeaways

Introduction (00:00)

Susan Ryan’s career journey (03:38)

The Center for Innovation's mission (08:47)

Impact of Greenhouse Project on elder care (11:23)

Beliefs, behaviors, and systems framework (15:44)

Challenges and opportunities in elder care (18:59)

Advice for patient experience and quality leaders (24:54)

Questions and insights (27:08)

Favorite quotes and closing remarks (34:05)

Additional Resources

Susan Ryan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanryan2018/

The Green House Project: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/

Pioneer Network: https://www.pioneernetwork.org/

Compassionomics by Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli: https://www.compassionomics.com/

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Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/

Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/

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Unlock the power of our HUMAN Brand™ insights model for enhanced patient, team member, and care provider experiences: https://fidelumhealth.com/

Learn how Planetree can help your organization deliver person-centered care at: https://www.planetree.org/

What does it take to rebuild trust in healthcare, especially after it took a hit during the pandemic?

In this episode, we talk with Jennifer Baron, Chief Experience Officer at NRC Health, about the evolution & importance of trust in healthcare.

She breaks down the key drivers of trust and their role in shaping patient and provider experiences.

Jennifer has over 30 years of leadership experience in healthcare. At NRC Health, she focuses on improving human-centered care. Her work revolves around 3 core elements of reliability, competence, and respect.

She takes us through NRC Health’s research on trust and what they found. She also explains how trust has evolved and what healthcare systems can do to rebuild it.

🎧 Tune in to hear how NRC Health is making healthcare more human-centered and trust-driven.

Key Takeaways

Introduction (00:00)

Jennifer’s healthcare journey to her current role (01:23)

Role and creation of the Chief Experience Officer at NRC Health (05:46)

Trust in healthcare: Key drivers and actions (08:27)

Importance of competence and warmth in patient relationships (16:06)

Generational shifts and their impact on healthcare (17:23)

The rise of digital-first healthcare experiences (20:18)

Advice for future healthcare executives (25:47)

The growing need for healthcare professionals to be adaptable (28:17)

Role of technology in improving patient care (31:43)

Additional Resources

NRC Health 2025 Experience Perspectives Report: https://nrchealth.com/xp25/

Jennifer Baron’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-baron-cpxp-2802565/

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Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/

Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/

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Unlock the power of our HUMAN Brand™ insights model for enhanced patient, team member, and care provider experiences: https://fidelumhealth.com/

Learn how Planetree can help your organization deliver person-centered care at: https://www.planetree.org/

What makes healthcare personal, even in large, fast-growing systems? It’s the power of human connection.

In this episode, Amy Searls, Chief Experience Officer at Prime Healthcare, shares how she’s leading efforts to create meaningful relationships between patients, staff, and healthcare providers.

Amy brings over two decades of leadership experience in patient and staff experience to her role. Prime Healthcare has a network of 51 hospitals and 300 outpatient centers. As the Chief Experience Officer, she oversees the patient journey and the provider experience, ensuring that both patients and healthcare staff feel supported and cared for.

Amy explains the strategies Prime Healthcare uses to maintain empathy and human connection as the organization grows and expands. She shares how they empower frontline leaders to drive patient experience and how the organization adapts to challenges like hospital acquisitions and employee burnout.

You’ll also hear about the impact of technology on the patient experience, including Prime’s ongoing work with mobile solutions to improve communication between staff and patients, and how they ensure these innovations still prioritize empathy.

🎧 Tune in to learn how Prime’s approach is humanizing healthcare through meaningful relationships, even as the industry evolves.

Key Takeaways

Introduction (00:00)

Amy’s first experience with patient care at age 14 (02:48)

Empowering leaders to drive cultural change in patient experience (08:01)

Overcoming challenges during hospital acquisitions (12:06)

The human connection at the core of the patient and staff experience (15:44)

The importance of connecting with purpose in healthcare (17:53)

Trends in patent experience (21:22)

Additional Resources

Prime Healthcare’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prime-healthcare/

Amy Searls’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-searls-aba59119/

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Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/

Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/

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Unlock the power of our HUMAN Brand™ insights model for enhanced patient, team member, and care provider experiences: https://fidelumhealth.com/

Learn how Planetree can help your organization deliver person-centered care at:https://www.planetree.org/

What motivates blood donors to give part of themselves for nothing in return, and what can they teach us about human connection and empathy?

In this episode, Adrian David, EVP & COO of New York Blood Center, joins us to discuss how they deliver donor experiences that save lives every day.

Adrian brings an impressive blend of pharmaceutical experience and strategic insight to one of the country’s largest blood operations. He shares how the center collects over a million blood products annually, operates in 17 states, and prioritizes donor engagement through emotional resonance, empathy, and cutting-edge innovation.

You’ll hear how they're solving the post-pandemic donor shortage, especially among youth, and introducing portable donation pods that transform blood drives into sleek, comfortable, and tech-friendly experiences.

Adrian also sheds light on what truly motivates donors, from altruism to peer influence, and how frontline staff are trained to make every donation personal and meaningful.

🎧 Tune in to learn how human-first design can transform even the most clinical experiences into moments of connection and purpose.

Key Takeaways

Introduction (00:00)

Adrian’s transition from pharma to blood center (03:13)

Overview of NYBC’s structure and mission (06:01)

Post-pandemic challenges in blood donation (10:21)

Innovation: mobile donation pods (12:05)

Differences between donor and patient motivations (14:37)

Why people donate blood (16:19)

Building donor experience from empathy (18:16)

Engaging and incentivizing frontline staff (21:58)

Leadership advice: strategic adaptability (25:43)

Favorite quote and closing thoughts (31:22)

Additional Resources

New York Blood Center LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-york-blood-center/

Adrian David’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-david-biopharma/

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Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/

Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/

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Unlock the power of our HUMAN Brand™ insights model for enhanced patient, team member, and care provider experiences: https://fidelumhealth.com/

Learn how Planetree can help your organization deliver person-centered care at: https://www.planetree.org/