Employee Experience and Patient Experience: The Data Link
Healthcare facilities can lose millions in nurse turnover costs, and those losses compound when burnout and attrition reduce care quality. Perceptyx research confirms a direct link: healthcare organizations that score high on employee engagement also deliver better patient outcomes and earn higher hospital star ratings.
The people analytics and healthcare consulting teams at Perceptyx conducted a research study to identify what specific aspects of the employee experience have the greatest positive impact on the patient experience. This report covers the data connecting engagement to outcomes, the three drivers that separate high-performing hospitals from the rest, and how healthcare leaders can measure and act on these findings.
What Does the Data Show About Employee Experience and Patient Outcomes?
Employee engagement directly predicts patient outcomes. Perceptyx data shows that healthcare facilities excelling in safety commitment, collaboration, and recognition are more likely to achieve higher hospital ratings. Specific findings include:
- Communication and responsiveness: Highly engaged employees communicate better, respond faster, and provide safer care than lower-engaged counterparts.
- Star rating correlation: Facilities performing well in safety, collaboration, and recognition – are 2.5 times more likely to earn a 5-star overall hospital rating.
- Retention impact: Employees at 5-star facilities feel more valued, reducing attrition and cutting turnover costs for clinical staff.
Perceptyx research pinpoints three drivers that separate high-performing hospitals from the rest:
- Commitment to Safety: When employees feel empowered to speak up and see leadership prioritizing safe practices, patients receive more reliable, error-free care.
- Collaboration: Teams that communicate effectively deliver coordinated care and reduce gaps that harm patient outcomes.
- Recognition: Employees who feel valued demonstrate greater commitment to quality care and stay longer.
How Can Healthcare Leaders Take Action?
Healthcare leaders can act on these findings through targeted measurement:
- Deploy engagement surveys: Measure safety commitment, collaboration, and recognition at the unit level.
- Use lifecycle surveys: Identify where new hires and exiting employees experience breakdowns in these three areas.
- Link datasets: Connect employee feedback to patient experience metrics and hospital star ratings to pinpoint which interventions will move outcomes.
Download the full Perceptyx research report to see the complete methodology and benchmark your facility against high-performing healthcare organizations.
