Healthcare experiences begin long before a patient enters a care setting and continue well beyond the traditional survey. Consumers are sharing signals about access, trust, friction, expectations, and intent across the digital front door, search, online reviews, contact centers, social channels, and other everyday interactions. Yet many healthcare organizations still rely primarily on downstream, episodic measures of patient experience. This fireside chat will explore how healthcare systems can "shift left" to understand the holistic consumer journey, connect the identities of consumer, patient, and customer, and turn upstream and unstructured signals into meaningful action. Panelists will discuss how expanding the aperture beyond CAHPS can help organizations identify emerging needs, improve access and digital experiences, strengthen trust, and create more connected experiences across the healthcare journey. 

As healthcare systems expand across inpatient, ambulatory, and access channels, delivering a consistent, high-quality experience requires more than traditional patient experience strategies it calls for a shift toward customer obsession. In this session, Sven Gierlinger, Chief Experience Officer, will explore how Northwell Health is redefining experience by reducing friction and focusing on what matters most. 

The discussion will examine how expectations vary across the care continuum from high-acuity clinical settings to routine ambulatory interactions and why organizations must rethink how they define and engage "patients," "customers," and "consumers" in each context. Attendees will gain practical insight into operationalizing customer obsession at scale, aligning experience strategy with access and operations, and creating a more seamless, effortless journey that strengthens loyalty, reputation, and outcomes.