- Proactive Strategies Support Nurses, Improve Patient Care
- The Not-So-Hidden ROI of Patient Experience Initiatives
- Jump Start Patient Satisfaction and AI Readiness
- Call for Candidates for ACHE’s 2026 Leadership Slate
Proactive Strategies Support Nurses, Improve Patient Care
Leaders who invest in their staff are also investing in the future of patient care. Research has shown increased patient satisfaction and decreased medical errors when staff feel supported, which also diminishes staff turnover rates.
April LaFontaine, DHA, FACHE, assistant vice president, Analytics, St. Tammany Health System, Covington, La., discusses proactive strategies hospitals and health systems can use to show nurses that they are valued—in the ACHE Blog, “Addressing Nursing Burnout: A Critical Challenge for Hospital Leaders.”
Since high patient-to-nurse ratios can lead to overwhelming workloads, LaFontaine recommends evaluating staffing levels. “Regular audits of staffing patterns should be conducted and adjusted accordingly,” writes LaFontaine, to ensure that nurses have an appropriate number of patients to provide safe, quality care. She acknowledges that due to the nursing shortage, staff allocation may require some creativity, including alternate solutions such as virtual nursing and AI. La Fontaine also suggests flexible scheduling as a way to reduce the stress of juggling professional and personal responsibilities, significantly improving work-life balance.
Leadership commitment to reducing administrative burdens and providing a safe and inclusive environment shows nurses they are top priority because “a happy, healthy nursing staff lays the foundation for a thriving healthcare organization,” concludes La Fontaine.
The Not-So-Hidden ROI of Patient Experience Initiatives
In the ever-evolving healthcare environment, patient experience is far more than a feel-good metric—it’s a cornerstone of success. Multiple studies show that hospitals with “excellent” satisfaction scores often see net margins around 4.7%, compared to just 1.8% at lower-rated facilities. As value-based care reshapes the industry, patient experience directly influences reimbursement, clinical outcomes and readmissions—key factors driving organizational performance.
Press Ganey research further indicates that hospitals excelling in patient satisfaction enjoy better clinician engagement, reduced turnover and stronger reputations in competitive markets. Fostering positive patient experiences cultivates trust and loyalty, encouraging patients to return for future care and to recommend your facility to others.
To capture this valuable ROI, healthcare executives should begin by identifying friction points—such as lengthy wait times, communication breakdowns and inadequate follow-up—and collaborate with front-line teams to develop practical solutions. Incorporating AI-driven platforms, comprehensive staff training and regular patient rounding helps embed consistency and accountability in day-to-day operations.
Once these strategies are in place, measuring and sharing outcomes is crucial. Linking improvements in patient experience to financial and operational metrics—and celebrating those achievements—transforms what was once considered a “soft” initiative into a proven engine for financial stability, clinician engagement and quality care.
For a real-world example of a patient experience program, explore Core Clinical Partners’ evidence-based CARES framework—a model designed to strengthen communication, assessment, revision, engagement, and sustainability. Through CARES, we help our partner facilities significantly reduce wait times, raise patient satisfaction scores as measured by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems and Press Ganey and achieve measurable ROI.
Core Clinical Partners, an ACHE Premier Corporate Partner, provided the content above.
Jump Start Patient Satisfaction and AI Readiness
Imagine boosting a service line net promoter score by six points in six months with simple, yet robust improvements to data-sharing with providers. This is exactly what Omada Health, San Francisco, achieved with its musculoskeletal service line by harvesting meaningful data.
The power of AI promises to revolutionize patient care and operational efficiency and usher in a new era of medical advancement, but AI's potential hinges upon the availability and quality of data. Focusing on data quality can be tedious work, but it has the power to achieve quick wins in the short term, such as patient satisfaction, while preparing an organization to effectively leverage AI in the long-term.
Todd Norwood, DPT, FACHE, senior director, Clinical Services, Omada Health, and Brian R. Spisak, PhD, senior partner/program director of AI and leadership, C-suite Growth Advisors, Harvard University, have identified 10 key performance indicators for achieving quick, data-driven wins and rapid AI readiness.
Norwood and Spisak will offer an actionable roadmap that leaders can use to develop data to create an AI-ready healthcare environment in their presentation “10 KPIs for Quick, Data-Driven Wins and Rapid AI Readiness” on Wednesday, March 26, at the Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Houston. To find out more about this session and others or to register, visit the ACHE Congress website.
To read more on this topic, visit this Web Extra.
Call for Candidates for ACHE’s 2026 Leadership Slate
ACHE’s 2025–2026 Nominating Committee is looking for experienced leaders to serve in ACHE’s top leadership ranks for terms beginning in 2026. ACHE Fellows are eligible for the Chair-Elect and Governor vacancies, as well as the Nominating Committee vacancies within their districts. Those interested in pursuing applications should review the candidate guidelines which detail the competencies and qualifications required for these roles. Open positions on the slate include:
- Nominating Committee member, District 1 (two-year term ending in 2028).
- Nominating Committee member, District 4 (two-year term ending in 2028).
- Nominating Committee member, District 5 (two-year term ending in 2028).
- Four Governors (three-year terms ending in 2029).
- Chair-Elect.
Refer to the following district designations for the open positions:
- District 1: Canada, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont
- District 4: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas
- District 5: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Candidates for Chair-Elect and Governor should submit an application to serve, a copy of their resume and up to 10 letters of support.
More details are included in the Candidate Guidelines, including guidance from the Board of Governors to the Nominating Committee regarding the personal competencies of Chair-Elect and Governor candidates and the composition of the Board of Governors.
Candidates for the Nominating Committee should submit a letter of self-nomination and a copy of their resume. Due to the importance and nature of work conducted by the Nominating Committee, candidates should demonstrate effective and successful experience as a healthcare leader and an ACHE volunteer.
Applications to serve and self-nominations should be addressed to Delvecchio S. Finley, FACHE, Nominating Committee Chair, and can be submitted to Kim Rock at krock@ache.org.
All applications must be received by Monday, July 28.
Following the July 28 submission deadline, the committee may meet to determine which candidates for Chair-Elect and Governor will be interviewed. All candidates will be notified of the committee’s decision no later than Sept. 26, and candidates for Chair-Elect and Governor will be interviewed in person Oct. 23 in Chicago.
The first meeting of ACHE’s 2025–2026 Nominating Committee will be held Tuesday, March 25, during the 2025 Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Houston. The committee will be in open session at 2:45 p.m. Central time.
During the meeting, an orientation session will be conducted for potential candidates, giving them the opportunity to ask questions about the nominating process. Immediately following the orientation, an open forum will be provided for ACHE members to present and discuss their views of ACHE leadership needs.
If you have any questions, contact Kim Rock at (312) 424-9375 or krock@ache.org.