The 5 Hottest Topics to Expect at NGPX 2025
The Westin Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs, California will host over 300 patient experience leaders from November 17th to 19th this year. Attendees will experience three transformative days that will shape the strategies of healthcare systems for the foreseeable future.
The event arrives at a time when the healthcare industry faces unprecedented obstacles. Workforce burnout continues to reach dangerous levels, and patients are expecting more than ever from their healthcare experiences. Heath systems are struggling with shifts in their funding while continuing their journeys toward AI adoption and digital transformation.
To give you an idea of the practical knowledge you’ll gain by attending NGPX 2025, we’ve come up with a list of the five hottest topics you can expect to hear about at the event.
HCAHPS Evolution and Strategic Performance Metrics
HCAHPS has transformed from a simple survey requirement into a strategic tool for patient experience leaders. Health systems are discovering that top-quartile patient experience scores directly connect with lower readmissions and mortality rates.
Furthermore, the stakes have become enormous as HCAHPS performance significantly affects Medicare payments through Value-Based Purchasing programs. Better HCAHPS ratings now yield higher reimbursements, making organizations treat patient experience as a strategic financial priority rather than just a compliance checkbox.
NGPX 2025 Sessions on Performance Metrics
At NGPX 2025, several sessions will focus on advanced HCAHPS analytics.
Amy Searls, Chief Experience Officer at Prime Healthcare, will present a keynote address entitled, "The Patient Experience Revolution – Proving ROI to Drive System-Wide Change.” Searls will explain how one CXO leader transformed HCAHPS metrics into a business case that resonated with high-level leadership. Attendees will gain practical strategies for aligning PX with financial performance.
In a keynote speech called "Let’s Get Granular – Two Key Tools Instrumental in Sustained PX Success,” Swati Mehta, MD, National Director of Quality & Performance at Vituity and Adult Hospitalist at CommonSpirit Health will discuss what truly drives improvements in the patient experience.
Dr. Mehta will explain how frontline-level strategies can lead to measurable HCAHPS improvements, even across large health systems. If you attend, you’ll learn two specific strategies that helped one organization make gains on HCAHPS.
Meeting Rising Patient Expectations
Patients expect much more from their healthcare experiences compared to previous years, and there is even a divide among generations.
When there disconnects between what patients expect and the care they receive in healthcare settings, it isn’t just bad for patient outcomes. These issues can also result in significant risk to hospitals, clinics, and health systems.
According to a study published in National Library of Medicine, 70% of healthcare litigation relates to physician communication problems. Patients with unmet expectations often abandon care relationships without complaining directly to providers.
Furthermore, research from NRC Health reveals that 48% of consumers will use retail clinics like Walgreens or CVS for doctor visits. This migration could mean significant changes for traditional healthcare models, but also opportunities for new types of clinics.
NGPX 2025 Sessions on Patient Expectations
Several sessions will explore advanced techniques for patient engagement. Others, such as the panel "Looking Ahead: The Future of Patient Experience in a Rapidly Changing Healthcare Landscape,” will explore how top organizations are staying agile and centered on the evolving needs of patients.
Attendees will learn proactive strategies for adapting to patient expectations. They also learn about technology’s role in delivering efficient services to patients, ensuring patients feel heard and recognized, and overcoming barriers to effective care.
The Adoption of Patient-Centered Care Models
Patient-centered care (PCC) models prioritize the individual needs, preferences, and values of patients, which leads to increased patient satisfaction and better adherence to treatment plans. Several benefits have been linked to patient-centered care, including more trust between patients and providers, better patient-provider relationships, and better health outcomes.
Healthcare systems that provide patients with information, tools, and support for active participation see dramatic improvements in outcomes.
NGPX 2025 Sessions on Patient-Centered Care
Multiple sessions at NGPX 2025 will focus on various aspects of PCC, including effective communication,
In the panel, "Bridging the Gap: Advancing Equity Through Language and Communication Access,” leaders from William Osler Health System and Cooper University Healthcare will discuss how effective patient communication should be the cornerstone of patient-centered care. A health system’s ability to overcome language barriers, gaps in health literacy, and accessibility challenges have a direct impact on health outcomes, especially among vulnerable populations.
Additionally, Kayla Carey, Chief Operating Officer at Ambulatory Anesthesia Care, will deliver a keynote address about the shifting definition of the "site of care.” No longer a fixed location, the site of care is now a patient-centered concept that is dynamic.
Carey will teach attendees how they can use technology and personalization to empower patients in a variety of settings. The COO will also discuss how to create comfortable and convenient recovery settings that meet patients’ individual needs.
Promoting Workforce Wellbeing and Empowerment
The wellbeing of healthcare workforces has long been an important topic at NGPX, as employee satisfaction is linked to patient outcomes. However, addressing workplace violence in healthcare settings has also become an important topic across the industry.
The most critical concern of workplace violence is protecting healthcare team members. Still, even the risk of workplace violence is linked to poor morale and performance, and it can also result in turnover.
A 2024 study by National Nurses United (NNU) found that 6 in 10 registered nurses had changed jobs or left the profession entirely, or considered doing so, because of workplace violence.
Nonetheless, high employee satisfaction in healthcare correlates with better patient outcomes. Satisfied healthcare professionals prove more attentive and engaged in patient interactions, creating a powerful business case for well-being initiatives.
NGPX 2025 Sessions on Workforce Wellbeing
NGPX 2025 will feature sessions exploring topics like employee burnout, employee safety, and employee well-being.
For example, a presentation by Kathy Denton, Director of Patient Experience at MD Anderson Cancer Center and David Weisman, Chief Experience Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens will reveal the impact of employee burnout on employee safety. Attendees will gain insight into creating a supportive work environment and empowering staff to deliver exceptional care, even in the most stressful circumstances.
There will also be a fireside chat with partners entitled "Improving Staff Wellbeing and the ROI of Investing in Your Workforce,” as well as a panel on "Advancing Staff Wellbeing in Healthcare.”
AI Implementation and Digital Transformation
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare delivery at unprecedented speed. Recent data from NGPX insights suggest that most healthcare organizations have at least partially deployed AI in their departments, while some of them have even fully deployed it across multiple departments. Furthermore, most organizations are using AI for patient engagement and care management, as well as personalized patient education and communication.
In addition to AI, unified, omnichannel platforms are becoming essential for meeting the ever-expanding needs of today’s patients. Health systems must provide seamless integration across in-person, virtual, and digital platforms. AI enables consumer engagement and personalization at unprecedented scales.
NGPX 2025 Sessions on AI and Digital Transformation
Multiple speakers at NGPX 2025 will explore how digital transformation and the application of AI are transforming the patient experience.
A partner fireside chat called "How AI Can Help Predict Patient Outcomes and Formulate Patient Care Plans” will explore how AI solutions can analyze vast amounts of patient data to make predictions, allowing healthcare professionals to personalize their treatment. Speakes will provide attendees with practical examples of how AI is currently being used to predict patient risk, identify potential complications, and more.
In a must-see case study, leaders from Mayo Clinic will demonstrate what happens when cutting-edge technology and the power of human connection are combined. Cheristi Cognetta-Rieke, D.N.P., M.B.O.E., R.N , Vice Chair Nursing – Enterprise Transformation, and Kathie Helms, MSN, RN, Senior Administrator of the Clinical Informatics and Practice Support Division provide real-world examples from Mayo Clinic to show how it is using technology to reduce its clinical burden and enhance care.
Transform Your Approach to Care with Insights from NGPX 2025
These five topics are interconnected, and they must all be studied to generate transformational results in patient experiences. They also represent only a fraction of what will be covered at NGPX 2025.
Healthcare leaders who attend will leave with clear action plans for navigating the complex patient care landscape. They’ll also foster meaningful connections and practical collaborations that extend far beyond the three days in Palm Springs.
If any of these topics are important to your organization, get tickets for NGPX 2025 today.