Just yesterday, our grandson needed some emergency attention after a tonsillectomy. Out on vacation in Michigan, my daughter was reluctant to take him to the closest hospital – because of the ratings. Whether fair or not, her decision was based on comments from others that criticized the facility for customer service and care quality.

We got pulled into the decision process, and we eventually recommended Holland Hospital, based on popular consumer ratings, and recognition from Healthgrades for the facility’s patient safety and patient experience. Unsurprisingly, she and grandson received warm, personal attention – including meeting an ER nurse whose daughter had the same challenges after the same procedure. The next day, he was getting back to normal, with the medical concerns hopefully behind him.

This is just an example that’s a microcosm of a sea change in healthcare – patients trying to make more educated choices about healthcare providers and the course of their own treatment. As more information is available (not all of great quality, to be sure), consumers who are used to calling the shots in other aspects of life now are bringing that autonomy to healthcare.

In a competitive world, where consumers have an increasing number of choices, providers are paying more attention to their interactions with consumers, patients and their families. This COVERstory package includes stories that look at impact of care on patients and how providers can do a better job.

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• Fred Bazzoli, Editor in Chief

As you read the stories in this package, we hope it will help you: 

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• 1. Learn how consumers are experiencing interactions with providers, and what impacts them negatively throughout their care journeys. 
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• 2. Appreciate how various care strategies and technologies can better support provider efforts to improve patient engagement and experience.
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• 3. Discover ways to measure authentic experience, and how patients going through trauma can provide an accurate barometer to measure provider performance.
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• 4. Look at how patient experience interacts with other components of the Quintuple Aim, and how improving patient experience can impact improvement in other arenas.