Ask Your Patient Experience Director for an Online Experience Report
Hospitals spend heavily on buildings, lobbies and decoration, while the patient's journey increasingly starts, and continues, online. The best healthcare today begins before the patient walks through the door.
Healthcare is also a consumer business. People research providers, read reviews, compare services, book and give feedback online, and stay loyal through ongoing digital contact. A hospital that focuses only on the offline experience will struggle against providers that get the online journey right.
Learning from other industries
Banking, hospitality and aviation invested years ago in digital experiences that attract and keep customers: AI assistants that answer questions in real time, apps that let hotel guests order services in their own language, self-service check-in that removes queues. Healthcare can borrow these lessons to build loyalty and trust.
Digital experiences last longer than visits
A hospital visit lasts hours. The digital relationship runs all year. Patients consult websites, read reviews, book appointments and look for information before they choose a provider and long after they leave. A clear, helpful online presence shapes their choice and their perception of quality.
The mobile reality
Most visitors reach hospital websites on their phones, yet many hospital sites are still clumsy on mobile. If a patient cannot find information or book an appointment on a phone, they will try another provider. Mobile optimisation is not a technical detail. It is patient retention.
What to measure
- Patient portal enrolment and use: are patients accessing records, booking and messaging?
- Website behaviour: session length, bounce rates, and whether visitors find what they came for.
- Online booking rate: the share of appointments booked digitally.
- Reputation: online ratings and how quickly the hospital responds to reviews.
Make it accountable
Every hospital CEO should ask the patient experience director for a regular Online Patient Experience Report, with KPIs, problem areas and an action plan. We review clinical performance with rigour. The digital patient experience deserves the same discipline.
Questions for boards and leadership teams
- Who owns the online patient experience in our hospital, and how is it measured?
- Can a patient find a doctor and book an appointment on our website, on a phone, in under two minutes?
- How do our online ratings compare with competitors, and who responds to reviews?
- Do we stay in touch with patients between visits with useful information, not just marketing?
The best healthcare today is not delivered only within four walls. It begins online.
First published in The Chief Healthcare Officer newsletter on LinkedIn.
Related reading: The digital front door · Five ways to drive experience-led growth
Dr Fatih Mehmet Gul is a physician and healthcare executive who has built, commissioned and led hospitals across the Gulf and Türkiye. He is an Honorary Professor at UCL Global Business School for Health, author of Connected Care, and host of The Chief Healthcare Officer podcast.
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