Jennifer Bollinger, Senior Vice President and Chief Consumer & Brand Officer at Sutter Health

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: In-Depth Conversation with Jennifer Bollinger of Sutter Health

Episode Overview In this insightful episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Laura Dardo engages in a comprehensive discussion with Jennifer Bollinger, Senior Vice President and Chief Consumer & Brand Officer at Sutter Health. Released on June 27, 2025, the episode delves into Sutter Health’s innovative strategies, current industry trends, digital transformation, and future initiatives aimed at enhancing patient experiences and expanding access to healthcare services.

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1. Introduction to Jennifer Bollinger and Sutter Health

Timestamp: [00:00] – [01:58]

Jennifer Bollinger opens the conversation by outlining her multifaceted role at Sutter Health, encompassing marketing, communications, patient experience, and consumer strategy. She highlights Sutter Health as a large, integrated, non-profit health system serving approximately 3.6 million patients across Northern California. Bollinger emphasizes the organization’s commitment to a consumer-obsessed approach, aiming to seamlessly integrate digital and physical healthcare services to meet modern consumer expectations.

Notable Quote:

“Sutter is a large, integrated, not-for-profit health system in Northern California serving 3.6 million patients across a very large geography. We’re taking a consumer-obsessed approach to innovate care and seamlessly integrate digital and physical services.”
—Jennifer Bollinger [01:00]

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2. Current Trends in Healthcare

Timestamp: [02:15] – [03:40]

Bollinger identifies artificial intelligence (AI) as a pivotal trend reshaping the healthcare landscape. She discusses the potential of AI in enabling hyper-personalization at scale, enhancing patient experiences while maintaining the essential human element. Additionally, she underscores the importance of reducing friction not only for patients but also for healthcare teams, advocating for a proactive rather than reactive approach to patient care.

Notable Quote:

“Relentless focus on reducing friction for everyone, not just patients, but also for our teams. How do we anticipate future needs and help patients be more proactive rather than reactive?”
—Jennifer Bollinger [03:00]

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3. Integrating Digital and Physical Healthcare

Timestamp: [04:11] – [05:23]

The conversation shifts to the integration of digital capabilities within Sutter Health’s operations. Over the past two and a half years, Sutter Health has significantly enhanced its digital infrastructure, particularly in online scheduling. Bollinger notes that this shift has empowered patients to engage more actively in their health journeys, resulting in higher patient satisfaction and loyalty.

Notable Quote:

“We’re seeing patients become more digitally empowered, staying more engaged in their own health journey, and ranking us twice as high when they’re digitally engaged.”
—Jennifer Bollinger [05:10]

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4. Achievements in Online Scheduling and Access

Timestamp: [05:36] – [08:23]

Bollinger highlights Sutter Health’s remarkable progress in online scheduling, which has facilitated over 4.1 million additional appointments in the last two years. This initiative has earned recognition from the Avia Network for being most improved and best in class. She discusses the strategies employed to promote online scheduling, including strategic CRM usage to inform patients about new digital capabilities, thereby enhancing accessibility and convenience.

Notable Quote:

“We’ve enabled more than 4.1 million more appointments in the last two years to be schedulable online. This has been a large team effort and is proving to be a differentiator for us.”
—Jennifer Bollinger [06:00]

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5. Future Focus and AI Integration

Timestamp: [08:34] – [09:47]

Looking ahead, Bollinger expresses excitement about further integrating AI to simplify navigation and personalize patient services. She emphasizes the importance of service line-specific solutions to cater to diverse patient needs. Additionally, she plans to expand digital engagement and empowerment, offering more virtual options and ensuring the full continuum of care is maintained to address unmet demand for access.

Notable Quote:

“Applying AI can enable further simplification and navigation, with a focus on service line-specific needs. We’re excited about bringing more virtual options directly to consumers while integrating the full continuum of care.”
—Jennifer Bollinger [09:30]

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6. Advice for Emerging Healthcare Leaders

Timestamp: [10:10] – [11:07]

In closing, Bollinger offers valuable advice for aspiring leaders in the healthcare sector. She emphasizes the importance of mentorship, encouraging leaders to seek mentors for guidance, visibility, and role modeling. Additionally, she advocates for embracing new challenges by saying “yes” to opportunities outside one’s comfort zone, fostering agility and adaptability essential for thriving in the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.

Notable Quote:

“You need great mentors for visibility, guidance, and role modeling. Also, say yes to new challenges and demonstrate agility—the qualities that will help you thrive as healthcare continues to evolve.”
—Jennifer Bollinger [10:45]

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7. Conclusion

Timestamp: [11:30]

Laura Dardo wraps up the episode by expressing gratitude to Jennifer Bollinger for sharing her insights and strategies. The conversation highlights Sutter Health’s proactive approach to integrating digital technologies, enhancing patient access, and fostering a consumer-centric healthcare environment.

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Key Takeaways

• Consumer-Centric Approach: Sutter Health prioritizes a seamless integration of digital and physical services to enhance patient experiences.
• AI and Hyper-Personalization: Leveraging AI to offer personalized healthcare services while maintaining the human touch.
• Digital Empowerment: Significant advancements in online scheduling have empowered patients, leading to increased satisfaction and loyalty.
• Future Initiatives: Continued focus on AI integration, digital engagement, and expanding virtual care options to meet growing healthcare demands.
• Leadership Advice: Importance of mentorship and adaptability for emerging leaders in the healthcare industry.

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This episode offers a comprehensive look into how Sutter Health is navigating the complexities of modern healthcare through innovation, digital transformation, and a steadfast commitment to patient-centric care. Jennifer Bollinger’s insights provide valuable lessons for healthcare professionals aiming to enhance their organizations and advance their careers.

Transcript

[A]

This is Laura Dardo with the Beckers Healthcare podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Jennifer Bollinger, Senior Vice President and Chief Consumer and Brand Officer at Sutter Health. Jennifer, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.

[B]

Thanks so much.

[A]

Now I'm really excited for our discussion because I know Sutter is doing some amazing things out in California. You know, it's such a fascinating time in healthcare and certainly we'll be looking forward to hearing your perspective on, you know, what's going on right now, as well as how you're planning for the future. But before we dive in, could you introduce yourself and just tell us a little bit more about Sutter Health?

[B]

Sure. Happy to. So you definitely already gave my title Chief Consumer and Brand Officer. Really, I have responsibility in that role for marketing, communications, experience, our enterprise access strategy, including the contact center, and then a really dedicated consumer strategy team that is also responsible for driving some consumer health products, some new offerings that we want to bring forward, and then send them back to operations. So it's a really unique team, but I think it's the right organization of capabilities to take Sutter where we want to go. Sutter is, you know, a large, integrated, not for profit health system in Northern California serving 3 and a half, 3.6 million patients across a very large geography. We've been working really hard to take a consumer obsessed approach to innovate care, to really look at the end to end experience. And then how do we stitch together the in between? And then the new mantra is let's bring together the digital and the physical. That's our view of what success in the future looks like and how does that work seamlessly together to meet modern consumer expectations.

[A]

That's great to hear. You know, and really it seems like a sophisticated approach to thinking about healthcare and thinking about how you're working within the larger community in broadening your patient population. Now, from your seat, what are some of the trends you're watching currently? What's top of mind for you as the Chief Consumer and Brand Officer?

[B]

Well, I think what's top of mind for me is probably top of mind for everybody. I don't think any conversation you're in is, is complete without a discussion on AI. So lots of thinking around hyper personalization at scale and the role that AI might play in that and how that might drive all the functions that I lead, but very specifically the experience. And then how do you keep the human element front and center in that? I talked a little bit about blurring those lines between physical and digital, really looking at trends around that. And then I would say our, our guiding principles here from a consumer perspective are really formed outside of the industry. If you look at other industries, they are much better at a consumer perspective. So relentless focus on reducing friction for everyone, not just patients, but also for our teams, get the whole job done. I think we're all in healthcare really good at getting the first job done, but we may not get everything done for the patient. And then how do we really start to anticipate future needs? We know the most about patients and so, you know, what, what does using that data look like to think ahead and help patients be more proactive versus reactive in a way that they value, you know, that doesn't overstep.

[A]

That makes a lot of sense, you know, and it's really helpful to kind of get the context of, you know, how you're thinking about your care now, the brand and what that means. But then I do, you know, see push and pull between the physical care and digital as well. How are you looking at that from Sutter Health vantage point? What's worked well in both settings and how are you putting them together to find the best experience possible for patients for whatever their need might be?

[B]

So I would say we in the last two and a half years have really over indexed on building up digital capabilities, things around online scheduling. We didn't have a user experience strategy. Now everything is user tested. And so when you couple that and sort of shift the mindset, that instead of traditional patient experience approach, that's very in person, it's very evidence based, which is fantastic, really working to shift the mindset to layer the two together. You know, we're definitely getting some recognition around that from, you know, external. But I think the number one recognition of that is that we're really seeing patients become more digitally empowered. So how are they able to use digital to really stay more engaged in their own health journey, stay stickier to us and in our data they also rank us twice as high if they're digitally engaged because they have agency in the process and can really do more and know more at any given moment in their journey with us.

[A]

That's helpful to know. Thank you so much for digging a little bit deeper there. Now I wanted to ask, from the last six to 12 months or so, what have you been most proud of? Can you tell us about a project or initiative that's gone particularly well?

[B]

Yes, I think I mentioned this a little bit, but I would say the number one, I mean this is a challenge across the country, but I would say it's especially prevalent in California around access. So I'm incredibly proud of the progress that we've made in online scheduling. You know, we've enabled more than 4.1 million more appointments in the last two years to be schedulable online. We've been recognized by the Avia Network for most improved and best in class in the organizations that are in that network. So we just announced that. But we really feel like given the demand out here, not only do we need to do the foundational work, which we've done a lot of, but we think we could get to 50% or more scheduled online and we will keep pushing really hard on that. I think that's something I'm very proud of. It was a large team effort across my division and in partnership with operations, but it's really proving to be a differentiator for us.

[A]

That's great to hear and really, you know, it seems revolutionary. I know, as you mentioned, access being such a critical challenge for so many organizations and trying to figure out how to expand that capacity or bring patients in an easier, more streamlined way. So I really, you know, it's cool to hear that you've found a way that's worked and been able to get around 50% or more of those appointments scheduled online. Is there anything you have to do, you know, in order to promote that with patients or what was most successful in actually getting that change in behavior that has been helpful for the organization as well as the broader patient population.

[B]

So I think obviously it's a big part of our brand promise, which is helpful in getting the word out. But I will tell you that it's interesting to me that even if we don't promote it, patients will find that inventory as soon as you make it available. We have been using CRM really strategically to focus on patients who maybe haven't been in and let them know about the new digital capabilities. So just pretty much on every front, I think the hardest place to let them know is once they're in an encounter. So we're really focused on trying to raise that awareness and get ahead of it, sort of with an always on approach for patients in between encounters. Not that it's not an opportunity when they're with us, but really asking the care teams to deliver care and what they perceive to be a marketing message, it just isn't the right fit. So we really try to stitch together the in between and fill it in before and after.

[A]

Got it. That's helpful to know and you know, really Appreciate your time there. Now, when you look ahead, what are you most focused on and excited about? What do you see coming in the next 12 months or so?

[B]

So, as I mentioned, AI, I do think, applying that. We've done a lot of work on, you know, reducing frict for patients and care teams. I think there's more work to be done that AI can enable around simplification navigation. So there's a very big focus on that, really service line specific, so that, you know, because every, every service line has sort of a different need from a patient perspective. So I'm really excited about that. I'm excited about continued digital engagement and digital empowerment. You know, our insights really tell us that patients define access more broadly than health systems do. So taking nurse advice direct to consumer, offering some more virtual options direct to consumer, and then, you know, making sure we're still integrating the full continuum for the patients. Really excited to bring some of that forward because I think, as I said, there's a lot of unmet demand for access, which we're fortunate to have, but trying to meet it in the traditional way is not going to be the answer. So I'm excited about the back half of the year. Really focused on that.

[A]

Absolutely. That is great to hear. And bringing the technology and figuring out how to leverage it. And I love that word empowerment as well. Bring that in and truly make a difference. Before we wrap up here, I'm curious, what advice would you give evolving leaders today, especially those who are looking to grow their careers in the healthcare space?

[B]

I would say what? I get asked this often, and I would say, here are the things that have probably served me best. Number one, you need great mentors for a number of reasons. Not only for shared experience, but for visibility, guidance, and really role modeling. So I would definitely be looking for solid mentorship as you think about advancing. And then I would also say say yes. If you get chosen or tapped to take on something that you haven't done before, say yes, dig in and figure it out. The people who show that they can do that kind of thing are the people that will really continue to be brought in to really expand their roles and take on new challenges. And I just think healthcare is gonna evolve quickly. So the people that demonstrate that agility are going to do really well.

[A]

I love that, you know, that mentorship, as you mentioned, and then the ability to say yes and figure out, you know, new projects and elevate an organic way, it seems like such a great way to continue to progress in your career and gain those skills that you need as a leader. Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. This has been such a fascinating conversation and I look forward to connecting with you again soon.

[B]

Thanks, Laura.