Humanizing Healthcare

Hosted by Fidelum Health

Management Health FitnessInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

May 2026

Language

About the show

Humanizing Healthcare is dedicated to sharing insights and best practices to make healthcare more human and fulfilling for all. With healthcare innovators and thought-leaders, we discuss how to better support everyone in the healthcare ecosystem: clinicians, patients, families, and the broader care team, to deliver experiences and outcomes that inspire lasting relationships.

Listen to episodes

43 recent

May 28, 202641 min

The Future of Human Experience in Healthcare | Jason Wolf

In this episode of Humanizing Healthcare, we sit down with Jason Wolf, President and CEO of the Beryl Institute, to mark three years of the podcast and take stock of where the patient experience movement stands.Jason founded the Beryl Institute in 2010 with a simple belief: that if healthcare leaders had a safe, neutral space to share ideas honestly, the whole field would get better. Sixteen years and 85,000 engaged members across 85 countries later, that bet has paid off.In this conversation, he breaks down how the definition of "experience" has evolved from patient satisfaction scores to a full human experience framework, one that includes patients, families, workforce, and community. He talks about why culture was always at the heart of that definition, what practical signs tell you an organization is genuinely human-centered, and why leaders still playing Whac-A-Mole with their metrics are building on shaky ground. He also makes the case for injecting experience education into medical schools before clinicians ever set foot on a unit, and what we lose when we wait until they're already in the building.If you lead, manage, or influence care delivery at any level, this conversation gives you the frameworks and the language to make the case for experience at the top of your organization.🎧 Take a listen.Takeaways03:55 How Jason Wolf Found His Path Into Healthcare08:55 How the Definition of Patient Experience Has Evolved Over 16 Years12:55 How to Make the Case for Human Experience to a CEO in 60 Seconds16:55 Why Caring for Your Workforce Is Caring for Your Patients19:55 Why Experience Needs to Be Taught in Medical Schools23:45 What a Truly Human-Centered Culture Looks Like in Practice26:35 What Surveys and Scores Are Actually For30:25 Why Every Role in the Building Shapes the Patient Experience37:55 What the US Can Learn From Countries Without CAHPS39:55 Anne Frank and Why You Don't Have to Wait to Change HealthcareJason Wolf LinkedInThe Beryl InstituteStory Submission Link for New BookFidelum Health LinkedIn PageUnlock the power of our HUMAN Brand™ insights model

April 30, 202625 min

Humanizing Healthcare at Scale at CommonSpirit Health | Camille Haycock

In this episode of Humanizing Healthcare, we speak with Camille Haycock— Senior Vice President and Chief Patient Experience Officer at CommonSpirit Health — about what it actually takes to embed human kindness into the operational, cultural, and clinical fabric of a national health system.CommonSpirit spans hospitals, clinics, and community care settings across more than two dozen states. Camille leads the enterprise-wide effort to make patient experience consistent, measurable, and mission-driven at that scale — not as a standalone initiative, but as an organizational imperative that lives at the board level alongside quality, safety, and financial performance.She talks about why patient experience and quality can never be treated as separate workstreams, how her team turns 1,600 daily patient comments into actionable insight, and why the tactics for improving experience have to be tailored to each care setting — from inpatient units to emergency department hallways where patients are boarding for hours. She also shares what it looks like to teach human kindness systematically, and why the caregivers who drove 90 miles to a patient's funeral didn't do it because of a program.If you want to understand how compassionate care gets operationalized across a complex system — and what leadership really looks like when kindness is the strategy — this is the episode.🎧 Take a listen.Key Takeaways:03:00 Camille's path from clinical nursing to enterprise patient experience leadership 04:20 Why human kindness is embedded in CommonSpirit's organizational intent 05:50 Why patient experience and quality and safety cannot be separated 07:15 How CommonSpirit customizes experience improvement across five distinct care settings 08:30 Turning 1,600 daily patient comments into insight with AI and quantitative data 10:20 The Emmanuel Hospital story: what human kindness looks like in the final 19 days 12:25 How retreats, rounding, and relational training support frontline caregivers 15:05 What clinical background gives a patient experience leader that can't be taught from the outside 17:20 Influence without authority: the leadership skills that matter most in this role 19:10 Building a shared culture of human kindness across a highly decentralized organization 22:00 Patient throughput and patient experience 24:25 Maya Angelou and why how you make people feel is the only thing that lastsAdditional Resources Camille Haycock LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camille-haycock/ CommonSpirit Health: https://www.commonspirit.org/#HumanizingHealthcare #PatientExperience #CompassionateCare

March 31, 202628 min

What Healthcare Leaders Miss When They've Never Been the Patient | Stephanie Abbott

In this episode of Humanizing Healthcare, we speak with Stephanie Abbott — author, speaker, and former Chief Experience Officer — about what healthcare leaders miss when they've only ever seen the system from the inside. Stephanie spent years leading patient experience strategy at major health systems, including Adventist Health. She understood patient experience intellectually. Then she became a cancer patient — and realized how much she didn't know. She shares what it felt like to spend 63 days not knowing if she would survive, and 83 days waiting to start treatment. She explains why those gaps weren't failures of compassion — they were failures of design. And why fixing them requires more than launching a new PX program. This conversation gets into the difference between measuring satisfaction and understanding trust, why employee experience and patient experience can't be separated, and what it actually takes for leaders to build systems where compassion is sustainable — not just expected. If you want to understand what humanizing healthcare really demands of its leaders, this is the episode. 🎧 Take a listen.Key Takeaways 02:50 Stephanie's path from healthcare operations to patient experience leadership 04:15 What becoming a cancer patient revealed that years of executive experience didn't 05:55 The 63 days, the 83 days, and what they say about system design08:45 The difference between launching PX programs and actually transforming culture 12:45 Why employee experience sets the ceiling for patient experience 10:05 How leaders should be interpreting experience data and metrics 17:10 What healthcare needs to look like in the next 5–10 years 24:45 Stephanie's book: Buried or PlantedAdditional ResourcesStephanie's book: Buried or Planted Additional Resources: Stephanie Abbott's book — Buried or Planted: https://www.amazon.com/Buried-Planted-Insights-Healthcare-Executives/dp/B0D4Q9QM78 Stephanie Abbott's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-s-abbott/ hxology: https://www.hxology.com/ Story Submission Link for New Book: https://forms.gle/32juxZ7aYFSuugBi7 Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/ Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/ ---- 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/

March 5, 202639 min

Adopting Patient-Centered Outcome Measures with ICHOM CEO Jennifer Bright

In this episode of Humanizing Healthcare, we speak with Jennifer Bright, CEO of International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), about what healthcare value really means and confront a question that challenges how most systems operate:Are we measuring what actually helps patients get better, or just what’s easy to count?Healthcare has become very good at tracking processes. But as Jennifer explains, many of the things we label as “outcomes” are actually tasks we do to or for patients. Screenings, follow-ups, time-to-needle. Important, yes. But they’re not results.Jennifer shares how ICHOM works with health systems around the world to define and use patient-centered outcome measures that reflect real results. She explains why survival alone does not tell the full story, why mental health and functional recovery matter, and why value must be defined by improvement in people’s lives.If we’re serious about humanizing healthcare, value has to mean improvement in people’s lives. This conversation pushes us to live up to that standard.🎧 Take a listen.Key TakeawaysIntroduction (00:00)Jennifer’s personal journey into patient advocacy (02:43)From lived experience to healthcare system reform (06:27)What ICHOM does and how it was founded (09:04)Why measuring patient outcomes took so long (12:35)What measuring outcomes looks like in practice (19:04)Misconceptions about outcomes and what patients value (26:16)Additional ResourcesICHOM website: https://www.ichom.org/ICHOM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-consortium-for-health-outcomes-measurement-ichom-/Jennifer Bright’s LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbrightmhs/----Story Submission Link for New Book: https://forms.gle/32juxZ7aYFSuugBi7Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/----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/

February 3, 202634 min

Delivering Person-Centered Care at Pacifica Salud w/ Rafael Cohen

We are pleased to share a new episode of Humanizing Healthcare featuring Rafael Cohen, Chief Executive Officer at Pacifica Salud Hospitals.In this conversation, Rafael shares how Pacifica Salud has built a culture of person-centered care rooted in leadership, dignity, and humanity, even in the most complex and high-pressure moments.From rethinking hospital environments to making courageous policy decisions during COVID-19, Rafael offers real-world examples of what it looks like when healthcare organizations put people first, not just in principle, but in practice.Together, we explore how values-driven leadership shapes patient experience, supports care teams, and leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.🎧 Hit play to hear how leadership choices can transform care, especially when it matters most.Key TakeawaysIntroduction (00:00)Why Person-Centered Care Matters (02:05)Designing Healing Environments for Dignity (08:55)Policy Decisions That Changed Outcomes (11:45)Balancing Care, Community, and Global Patients (15:05)When Crisis Reveals Culture (23:20)Advice for Leaders: Humanity First (32:35)Additional Resources Guest: Rafael Cohen’s LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-cohen-1926901b/—Story Submission Link for New Book: https://forms.gle/32juxZ7aYFSuugBi7Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/—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/

December 30, 202538 min

Patient Experience Agility: Preparing for Disruption & Change w/ Dwight McBee

Dwight McBee is back for round two on the Humanizing Healthcare podcast, and we can assure you that you'll want to hear what he’s been up to.As Chief Experience Officer at RWJBarnabas Health, Dwight is leading some seriously bold work around making care more compassionate, more responsive, and more human.We discuss how he’s helping an entire health system listen in real time, how he views AI as a tool, and why the small, everyday moments are often the ones that matter most.Dwight shares the strategies that his team is using to make change last, why flashy new initiatives can be a trap, and how storytelling is one of the most powerful tools in a leader’s toolkit.🎧 Hit play and get inspired by a leader who is living it.Key TakeawaysIntroduction (00:00)Dwight Mcbee's journey into healthcare (03:27)Technology and listening in healthcare (10:34)Sustaining patient experience initiatives (16:39)Magnifying the mundane (19:51)Balancing patient and provider experience (22:04)Future of the chief experience officer role (24:48)Advice for aspiring leaders (28:38)Additional Resources Dwight McBee’s LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwmcbee/—-Story Submission Link for New Book: https://forms.gle/32juxZ7aYFSuugBi7Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/---- 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/

November 18, 202542 min

Transforming Hospitals With Patient & Family Advisory Councils w/ Barbara Lewis

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 TakeawaysIntroduction (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 ResourcesHealthcare PX Website: https://healthcarepx.org/Barbara Lewis LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaralewisjfbr/—-Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/----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/

October 7, 202538 min

What's Next for Patient Experience: Trends, Evidence & Inspiration w/ Dr. Laura Cooley

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 TakeawaysIntroduction (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/—-Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/---- 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/

September 4, 202535 min

Elevating Patient Access & Experiences With AI w/ Lisa Griffin

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 TakeawaysIntroduction (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/—-Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/---- 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/

July 29, 202536 min

New Innovations in Delivering Person-Centered Eldercare w/ Susan Ryan

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 TakeawaysIntroduction (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 ResourcesSusan 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/—-Fidelum Health LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fidelum-health/Planetree LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planetree/----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/