New NRC Health Research Reveals What Sets High-Performing Health Systems Apart: Turning Patient Feedback Into Action

Analysis of 376 healthcare organizations finds top performers close more than three times as many service alerts per active user despite nearly identical platform participation

LINCOLN, Neb., October 15, 2026--Healthcare organizations have more patient feedback, performance dashboards, and experience data at their fingertips than ever before. But new research from NRC Health (NASDAQ: NRC) suggests that what distinguishes high-performing health systems isn't how much information they access. It's how effectively they turn that information into action.

In its latest nSight report, From Signal to System: Experience Management Everywhere, NRC Health analyzed data from 376 healthcare organizations, comparing 41 high-performing organizations with 335 others to identify the practices associated with exceptional patient experiences.

The findings reveal a striking distinction: High-performing organizations closed an average of 2.01 service alerts per active platform user, compared with just 0.63 among other organizations—more than three times as many. Yet platform participation was virtually identical between the two groups, at approximately 6.2 active users per 100 clinicians.

The implication for healthcare leaders is significant: Simply collecting more feedback or expanding access to experience data may not be enough to improve performance. What matters is building the organizational alignment, accountability, and everyday processes that transform insights into meaningful action.

"Healthcare has spent decades measuring patient experiences, yet we continue to ask why meaningful, sustainable improvement is so difficult to achieve," said Jennifer Baron, Chief Experience Officer at NRC Health. "Perhaps we've been asking the wrong question. In an increasingly complex healthcare environment, we have an opportunity to learn from organizations that are achieving exceptional results and uncover what truly sets them apart. This research reveals that success isn't simply about collecting more data, but about building the leadership capabilities, shared accountability, and everyday practices that turn Human Understanding into action. By applying these lessons, health systems can identify untapped opportunities within their own organizations and move more quickly and confidently toward delivering the experiences people deserve."

"The difference between collecting feedback and creating meaningful change is what happens next," said Helen Hrdy, Chief Operating Officer at NRC Health. "Our research reinforces what we see every day in our partnerships with leading health systems: exceptional experiences are built when teams listen, act, and continuously improve. Experience management can't be the responsibility of one department or a handful of individuals. It has to become part of how the entire organization works, with Human Understanding at the center of every decision."