Patient experience doesn’t happen by accident. It’s shaped through intentional design—how teams work together, how communication flows, and how clinicians are supported to do their best work.
Within our practices, patient experience is intentional. From care model design to leadership structure, the goal is simple: create an environment where patients feel informed, supported, and confident in their care.
“Patient experience requires intentional leadership and system design because good intentions alone aren’t enough. Medical training focuses heavily on clinical and technical skills, but often underemphasizes the nonclinical behaviors that shape how care is felt. Skills like slowing down, engaging families, and connecting at eye level need to be intentionally supported and built into how teams are led and how care is delivered.”
—John Birkmeyer, President, Medical Group
Designing care around the patient
A patient’s experience is influenced by far more than individual moments of care. It’s shaped by consistency, clarity, and coordination across every interaction they have from arrival through discharge.
That’s why we design care models around communication, collaboration, and continuity. When teams are aligned and expectations are clear, patients experience care that feels more connected and less fragmented. This approach helps ensure that patients aren’t just receiving care, they’re understanding it.
How this looks in action:
At one Southern U.S. hospital, integrating Emergency Medicine and Hospital Medicine teams under shared leadership reduced door-to- provider time by 11%, helping patients feel seen and supported sooner. Read the case study.
Supporting bedside clinicians so patients benefit
How we support our bedside clinicians is foundational to improving how patients feel their care. That means aligning teams, clarifying roles, and reducing unnecessary friction so clinicians can focus on what matters most: the patient in front of them. When clinicians are supported by strong care models, operational clarity, and accessible leadership, patients benefit from calmer, clearer, and more consistent care experiences.
How this looks in action:
At a Northern Texas teaching hospital, Sound implemented leadership discharge rounding and more structured multidisciplinary rounds to better coordinate care and close communication gaps. Within six months, the hospital saw an 8.4% improvement in HCAHPS scores, reflecting stronger patient understanding, engagement, and confidence in their care teams. Read the case study.
“Our clinicians manage heavy workloads and high expectations, so it’s easy to get pulled in many directions. Alignment helps teams stay focused on what matters most—the patient and their family—resulting in care that feels more present, attentive, and reassuring.”
—John Birkmeyer, President, Medical Group
Empowering local leaders, backed by shared support
Every hospital and community is different. Local leaders understand their patients, teams, and challenges best, but they shouldn’t have to solve those challenges alone.
Our model balances local ownership with shared support. Clinical leaders are empowered to make decisions that improve patient experience at their sites, while centralized resources provide structure, tools, and expertise to support those efforts.
This partnership helps create care experiences that are both locally responsive and consistently grounded in our patient-centered approach.
What it looks like in practice
Across our practices, being intentional about how we care has helped improve communication, strengthen patient understanding, and create smoother transitions of care. These examples illustrate what’s possible when experience is treated as part of the care model, not an add-on.
How this looks in action:
At a Southern U.S. hospital, Sound’s unified Emergency Medicine and Hospital Medicine program led to a roughly 3% increase in emergency department patient experience scores for “Likelihood to Recommend.” Read the case study.
We know our care model is most effective when patients feel informed instead of confused, supported instead of rushed, and confident instead of uncertain.
These moments don’t happen in isolation—they’re the result of aligned teams, thoughtful care design, and leaders who treat patient experience as a responsibility shared across the entire care system.
“When Sound’s care model is working at its best, patients experience care that feels clear, consistent, and personal. They know who their doctor is, understand what’s happening in their care, and aren’t surprised along the way. Most importantly, they feel that their physician and care team genuinely care about them.”
—John Birkmeyer, President, Medical Group