Patient experience starts behind the scenes: The quiet strength of social capital

Coauthored by Alexis Wegman, Manager, Workforce Solutions, Press Ganey. 

The pace of healthcare transformation is accelerating beyond anything we could have predicted—even just a few years ago. We’re seeing extraordinary clinical and technological advances transforming how we work, communicate, and care for patients.

Amid this progress, two truths remain. First, no matter how powerful technology becomes, patient trust, safety, and healing will always be driven by human connection and clear communication. And second, it’s the healthcare workforce that makes those connections real—by living these values with one another and with every patient, every day.

A recent analysis of 6.5 million patient encounters reveals a clear pattern: Organizations that prioritize team cohesion, employee experience, and workforce well-being are seeing the strongest gains in patient experience. When the workforce feels supported, engaged, and aligned with their leaders, patients feel it, too.

Put more simply: There is no great patient experience without a great employee and physician experience.

The virtuous cycle of Human Experience

We’ve long understood that an engaged workforce propels the virtuous cycle of better outcomes. Fewer serious safety events. Higher ratings. Lower workforce turnover. And stronger clinical performance. But now, we see just how deeply this dynamic runs, and how human connections are at the core of keeping the cycle running smoothly.

Organizations rich in social capital—marked by strong relationships, trust, and collaboration—outperform peers across patient experience metrics. When trust is high, teams communicate seamlessly, and when everyone feels supported in practicing at the top of their license, we see measurable impact on key patient experience domains:

• 2.4x more likely to excel in “doctor listened carefully”
• 2x more likely to lead in “staff worked together to care for you” 
• 6.5x more likely to be top performers when nurses listen well

Far from incidental, these results reflect what patients feel when care teams are truly in sync: safety, confidence, and compassion.

Teamwork plus safety: The foundation of high reliability

Following CMS’s move to include “teamwork” in HCAHPS, this measure has become one of the top drivers of inpatient experience. For leading healthcare organizations, this is more than a metric; it’s a mindset—and one that anchors a culture of accountability, respect, and trust.

High-functioning teams foster psychological safety for staff and patients alike. Psychological safety looks like trust in action. It’s asking for help when needed, knowing that your teammate has your back. It’s reporting errors transparently, knowing that mistakes are learned from, not punished. And it’s voicing concerns as you see them, without the fear of overstepping. 

This mindset of trust and respect does not go unnoticed and leads to safer experiences for patients. When patients feel safe, their loyalty soars. Press Ganey research shows that patients who report safety as “very good,” LTR top-box scores reach 85.3 (92nd percentile). When they don’t, scores fall to 34.6—below the 1st percentile.

The implications for healthcare leaders are clear: Safety and experience must be addressed in tandem as mutually reinforcing priorities—essential to high-quality care, and inseparable elements of the same Human Experience.

Social capital as a strategic asset for performance and retention

Building social capital within organizations and teams has a clear cultural advantage, defined by trust, mutual respect, and shared goals. It enables teams to function effectively under pressure. It is the invisible architecture that powers both employee and patient trust.

Organizations that invest in social capital—through visible leadership and alignment, regular rounding, and peer support—build stronger teams and better experiences. As a result, outcomes improve across employee engagement, retention, safety, and patient experience.

One journey. One experience.

Patients don’t experience healthcare in separate touchpoints. They don’t compartmentalize their search for a provider, their clinical encounters, follow-up instructions and communication, payment and insurance, and so on. They view it all as one unified journey. And that journey is shaped not only by clinicians’ bedside manner, technical skill, and competency, but by how effectively their teams communicate and collaborate together.

Whether navigating a planned or unplanned procedure, teamwork, clarity, and follow-up profoundly influence patient perception. For example, a simple post-discharge call can boost recommendation scores by more than 22 points.

We are encouraged to see year-over-year improvements in key patient experience drivers—teamwork, safety, communication. These gains reflect a virtuous cycle. One where engaged, supported employees deliver better patient experiences and care; patients feel their needs are anticipated, their preferences are respected, their dignity is maintained; and trust grows stronger every day.

The path to better patient experiences and outcomes begins by elevating the experience of those who deliver care. By investing in our healthcare workforce, we improve today’s metrics, and tomorrow’s resilience, relationships, and results.

To explore all our findings, download “Patient experience 2025.” Or to discuss their implications for your organization, reach out to a member of the Press Ganey team.