Stephanie Bayer

Senior Director, Patient Experience Cleveland Clinic

Stephanie Bayer, J.D. is the Senior Director of Patient Experience for the Cleveland Clinic. In this role she has enterprise-wide responsibilities for leading patient-facing functions of the division which include Ombudsman Office, Arts and Medicine, Spiritual Care and Healing Services, and Volunteer Services and Healthcare Partners as well as the strategic efforts such as the Center for Excellence in Healthcare Communication, enterprise visitation policies practices, and patient survey and improvement initiatives. She also has previously served as the Director of the Ombudsman Office, focused on resolving patient and caregiver issues as it relates to serving patients. Steph is also an editor on the Journal of Patient Experience, an academic open-access peer-reviewed publication. She hosts “Studies in Empathy” a podcast exploring insights on empathy, quality, safety, burnout and engagement. Studies in Empathy Podcast | Cleveland Clinic Prior to joining the Cleveland Clinic, she spent over a decade working in healthcare compliance, including responsibilities for developing grievance processes for patients, for both health insurance companies and hospitals. Stephanie received a Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and BA in Political Science from Baldwin Wallace University.

Day 2: From Insight to Impact: Operationalizing Patient Experience

9:50 AM Morning Glaze Networking Break in the Xperience Lounge + Xperience Theater Innovation Spotlights

Start your day on a sweet note! Join us in the Xperience Lounge for fresh donuts, hot coffee, and great conversation. Whether you’re reconnecting with colleagues or meeting new faces in the world of patient experience, this is the perfect opportunity to fuel up and ease into the day’s sessions with a little sugar and a lot of connection.

Xperience Theater Spotlight: Fostering Innovation in PX (Located at the Center of the Xperience Lounge)

• 10:00–10:10 AM – Listening Differently: Next-Gen Approaches to Patient Experience Innovation

Stephanie Bayer, Senior Director, Patient Experience, Cleveland Clinic

Gone are the days of passive monthly “meetings” with patients. Today’s approach requires a focus on collaboration, engaging patients at the design level, and sharing the true state of healthcare systems to learn from lived experiences. This session explores innovative strategies to elevate patient engagement and experience by leveraging automation, design thinking and safety practices.

· Reducing friction points is a key driver of system-wide improvement, with tools like AI-powered sentiment analysis leading the way in problem solving.

· Attendees will gain practical insights into solutions such as scripting, data reviews, automation of patient feedback dissemination and utilizing actionable solution sets to drive meaningful improvement. By reducing friction and building trust, healthcare systems can foster deeper connections with patients while driving sustainable improvements in care delivery.

• 10:15–10:25 AM – Partner Spotlight

Speaker TBA

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Stephanie.

Download The Latest Agenda