Who has a CXO?
The “Chief Experience Officer” title is still relatively new in healthcare. Our best current guess is that there may be less than 100 individuals with that specific title and level of authority in U.S. hospitals and systems. There are also others actually performing the functions of the CXO, without having that title.
Larger hospitals and many multi-unit systems seem to be embracing the concept, even if they don’t always use the words “CXO” to describe the function. It seems like every week I hear about a system that either has just hired a CXO, or is actively looking for one. For example, I was told that HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit health system, is currently seeking a professional to fill this role at the corporate level.
Our own database of hospitals and health systems in 11 Southeastern states includes a total of 29 that have a person with “patient experience” as part of their title. That’s 29 out of a total of 642 100+ bed hospitals and health systems operating in an 11-state region, or 5%.
It’s also hard to get a firm count on how many CXO equivalents there are in the U.S. This is because, while the person may have the “experience” function and responsibility, and sometimes the authority and accountability of being a C-level executive, their current title is something other than CXO.
An example is someone who is the “Vice President of Patient Experience.” Plus there are many service excellence, service quality, and quality improvement titles where the person holding that job is essentially the key leader responsible for patient experience in their organizations.
In addition, in my conversations with hospital leaders, it’s clear that some individuals carry the “CXO” responsibility, but do it under the banner of another C-level function. An example is Rhonda Scott, the Chief Nursing Officer at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
Our own international study for The Beryl Institute found that the most frequent answer to the question of who in the organization has the prime responsibility and accountability for the Patient Experience was “a committee” or work group. So there are still plenty of health organizations that have not decided to make the investment in a senior-level position, leaving the task to several different departments or individuals.
Still, with reimbursements now at risk, I predict we’ll see a further increase in the use of the CXO title and its equivalents in this country.
For more information on the CXO and the role they play in the patient experience, click here to see the 2013 State of Patient Experience Study.
