NRC Health and Healthcare Experience Foundation Launch Strategic Partnership to Deepen Support for Improving Experience, Safety, and Workforce Engagement

Key Terms

leadership rounding technical

Leadership rounding is when senior managers or executives make regular, organized visits to workplaces, teams, or operational sites to observe how things run, talk with employees or customers, and spot issues or opportunities firsthand. For investors, it signals how actively leadership monitors operations and culture—like a coach walking the field to assess performance—which can indicate whether management is likely to catch problems early, improve efficiency, and protect long‑term value.

care transitions medical

Care transitions are the handoffs patients experience when moving between health settings or providers—such as from hospital to home, to a rehab facility, or to primary care. Like passing a baton in a relay race, clear, coordinated transitions reduce mistakes, repeated tests, and hospital readmissions, which directly affect healthcare costs, quality scores and reimbursement, making them important to investors assessing provider performance and financial risk.

safety culture medical

Safety culture is the shared attitudes, habits and priorities inside an organization that determine how seriously people take health, environmental and operational risks — in other words, the everyday behaviors and leadership signals that shape safe work. For investors it matters because a strong safety culture lowers the chance of accidents, regulatory fines, costly shutdowns and reputational damage, protecting cash flow and reducing long-term operational and legal risk; think of it like regular maintenance that prevents expensive breakdowns.

readmission outcomes medical

Readmission outcomes measure how often and how soon patients return to a hospital or care facility after being discharged, and whether those returns are expected or indicate complications. For investors, they act like a product return rate for healthcare providers: high or avoidable readmissions can raise costs, lower reimbursement, harm reputation, and signal operational or clinical problems that affect profitability and future cash flow.

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Partnership broadens access to additional expertise and proven programs that help organizations strengthen culture, improve operations, and sustain progress.

LINCOLN, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Healthcare organizations face rising expectations and constrained resources as they work to improve patient experience, strengthen workforce engagement, sustain safe care, and translate insight into measurable performance.

“At NRC Health, we believe Human Understanding is the foundation for better healthcare,” said Trent Green, CEO of NRC Health. “We help healthcare organizations act on that understanding and deliver more consistent experiences. This partnership with HXF strengthens how that work happens in daily operations.”

NRC Health, a recognized leader in healthcare experience management, today announced a strategic partnership with the Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF) to expand the expertise and programs available to help healthcare leaders meet these demands.

For more than 45 years, NRC Health has helped healthcare organizations advance Human Understanding through its Best in KLAS experience platform and trusted partner advisory team.

Through the HXF partnership, organizations gain expanded access to healthcare executives, clinicians, and operators who have led improvement efforts inside hospitals and health systems. Building on NRC Health's proven track record of driving measurable improvement, HXF brings programs that have delivered double-digit gains in key healthcare experience domains, including communication and overall ratings.

Healthcare organizations face distinct challenges at different points in their work. Some are building strategy. Others are strengthening operations, engaging clinicians, or improving safety. NRC Health and HXF support organizations at every stage of improvement, helping leaders put priorities into practice and sustain progress.

“At NRC Health, we believe Human Understanding is the foundation for better healthcare,” said Trent Green, CEO of NRC Health. “We help healthcare organizations act on that understanding and deliver more consistent experiences. This partnership with HXF strengthens how that work happens in daily operations.”

The partnership brings together a suite of proven programs focused on key drivers of organizational performance, including enterprise alignment, care transitions, leadership rounding, safety culture, and clinician engagement.

Data from NRC Health demonstrates that effective leadership rounding is associated with a 15-20-point increase in patient loyalty, while structured care transition programs have driven improvements of more than 30 percent in readmission outcomes.

By combining NRC Health’s advanced experience platform and analytics with HXF’s established leadership programs, healthcare organizations are equipped to elevate the patient and consumer experience, strengthen workforce engagement, and achieve measurable, sustainable results.

“Data without direction for healthcare organizations is just noise,” said Katie Owens, Founder and CEO of the Healthcare Experience Foundation. “Leaders need clarity on where gaps exist, alignment on how to close them, and a clear path to act. This partnership brings data together with proven leadership practices so organizations can achieve lasting results across patient experience, workforce engagement, and safety.”

Learn more and meet the advisory team at: https://nrchealth.com/advisory-services/

About NRC Health

For more than 45 years, NRC Health (NASDAQ: NRC) has led the charge to humanize healthcare and support organizations in their understanding of each unique individual. Ranked #1 Best in KLAS for Healthcare Experience Management in three of the last four years, NRC Health holds a commitment to Human Understanding that helps leading healthcare systems get to know each person they serve not as point-in-time insights, but in the context of an ongoing relationship. Guided by its uniquely empathic heritage, patient-focused approach, unmatched market research, and emphasis on consumer preferences, NRC Health is transforming the healthcare experience and creating strong outcomes for patients and entire healthcare systems.

For more information, email info@nrchealth.com or visit www.nrchealth.com.

About Healthcare Experience Foundation

Founded in 2017, the Healthcare Experience Foundation (HXF) is a nationally recognized consulting and training organization trusted by 700+ healthcare organizations and more than 10,000 professionals across the United States, with focus on helping hospitals and health systems improve their quality of care and healthcare delivery by transforming the experience of those who receive and deliver care. HXF brings together senior healthcare leaders, clinicians, and change agents to equip clients with the expertise, tools, and strategies needed to build stronger teams, elevate patient experience, and drive impactful organizational transformation spanning across four core practice areas: Leaders & Staff, Medical Staff & Clinicians, Quality & Safety, and Patient Experience & Loyalty. HXF is committed to helping healthcare organizations accelerate patient experience improvement, employee and physician engagement, cultural transformation, and leadership development through coaching, consulting, speaking, and educational programs.

Learn more at https://healthcareexperience.com/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260609937437/en/

Media Contact:
BPD Healthcare
nrc@bpdhealthcare.com

Source: NRC Health