Using Data and Empathy to Elevate Patient and Family Experience

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast | November 20, 2025

Guests:

• Rachel Hamilton, Vice President of Customer Strategy, NRC Health
• Dr. Peggy Greco, Vice President and Chief Patient Experience Officer, Nemours Children’s Health
• Host: Erica Spicer Mason

Episode Overview

This episode examines how Nemours Children’s Health, in collaboration with NRC Health, leverages data and empathy to improve patient and family experiences—particularly in pursuit of health equity. The focus is on how actionable data strategies and authentic partnership turn patient feedback into meaningful clinical improvements, culminating in initiatives that directly reduce disparities in care and improve patient safety. Dr. Peggy Greco and Rachel Hamilton share practical insights from their joint case study and offer tangible advice for healthcare organizations aiming to move beyond measurement toward system-wide change.

Guest Introductions

[00:40] Dr. Peggy Greco:

• Pediatric psychologist, 32 years at Nemours Children’s Health.
• Roles: clinician, researcher, administrator, translating research on communication into practice improvement.
• Emphasis on teaching staff effective patient and family communication to support safer care and better outcomes.

[02:14] Rachel Hamilton:

• 20 years in healthcare, initially as a health system administrator, then focusing on patient experience.
• 8.5 years at NRC Health, working with premier partners to drive patient experience improvements.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Identifying Equity Gaps Using Data

Case Study Context

• In 2020, Nemours began dissecting survey data by race, ethnicity, and language with NRC Health's support.
• Discovery: Significant disparities, especially in survey item responses related to post-visit clarity.
  • “Did you know what to do if you had questions after your visit?” exposed the largest equity gaps.

Quote:

“We began to look at our survey responses through those lens. And what we noticed was that there were some equity gaps for some specific clinical areas.”
—Dr. Greco [03:58]

Turning Data into Action – Tackling Disparities

[07:01] Translating Insights into Improvement

• Spanish-preferred families scored 15 points lower; significant racial disparities found (21-point spread between highest and lowest groups).
• Actions taken:
  • Pre-visit: Organized questions at check-in, assessed language needs, interpreter access.
  • During visit: Leveraged best-practice communication (teach-back, clarification), ensured language interpretation.
  • Technology: EMR tools such as Medaction Plan Pro enabled translated medication instructions.
  • Discharge: Multilingual handouts, business cards, app-based messaging, a new central phone line to resolve confusion about whom to contact post-discharge.

Memorable Moment:

“It really was a comprehensive approach that involved pre-visit preparation... ensuring that we’re asking families when they check in to write down their questions and get organized.”
—Dr. Greco [08:09]

NRC Health’s Role

• Provided actionable reporting, making gaps visible for targeted improvement.
• Helped deploy custom surveys and virtual patient/family advisory councils to gather direct feedback on interventions.
• Developed a “fairness survey” and incorporated metrics into clinician summaries for greater visibility and accountability.

Quote:

“We have that opportunity to connect with [families] and ask them questions around those... strategic priorities... so they know and have the ideas around having those cards or just other areas providing a good phone number for those families.”
—Rachel Hamilton [10:53]

Patient Experience Evolves into Patient Safety

[12:40] Linking Outcomes to Experience Metrics

• Explicit connection drawn between survey response and safety:
  • Families who understood post-visit steps had a 3% ED return rate within 48 hours.
  • Those who didn’t had a 6% rate; even higher for Spanish-preferring (9.2%) and Black families (8.6%).

Quote:

“We found that the question…was predictive of return to the ED within 48 hours. So those families who answered yes, they knew what to do had a 3% return rate… those who didn’t had a 6% return rate.”
—Dr. Greco [13:13]

• This data made the equity initiative personally relevant for clinical teams, driving engagement.

Lessons Learned & Best Practices

[15:14] Dr. Greco’s Recommendations:

• Meaningful Goals: Focus on clinically significant measures over marketing-driven metrics.
• Ownership: Make goals system-wide, not the sole responsibility of the patient experience team.
• Persistence: Emphasize long-term commitment—tangible, systemic impact took three years to achieve.
• Storytelling: Consistently connect initiatives to patient and family impact to foster buy-in and drive transformation.

Quote:

“It really has to belong to the entire system. It’s not our goal, it’s your goal… And then lastly, I think I would say always coming back to the story, the human impact.”
—Dr. Greco [16:21]

Preview: 2026 Pediatric Collaborative

[18:04] NRC Health Pediatric Collaborative

• Annual event; 2026 to be co-hosted by Nemours Children’s Health in Orlando, FL (March 25-26).
• Focus on data-informed decision-making and sharing innovative best practices.
• Includes tours of Nemours’ facility for in-person connection and inspiration.

Quote:

“Being on site really makes a pediatric collaborative powerful… to see other healthcare systems in action, to meet leaders, to hear about their initiatives.”
—Dr. Greco [18:52]

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On the power of actionable data:
  “Once you have that data, what are you going to do with it? …turning it into action…” – Rachel Hamilton [05:54]

• On meaningful, clinical, equity-driven goals:
  “Shifting away from metrics that may relate more to marketing and instead finding more actionable measures that really have implications for safety and or outcome means you’re going to get greater engagement.” —Dr. Greco [15:18]

• On the urgency of clarity post-discharge:
  “If you have confusion after a visit or you’re not sure what to do, are you going to follow through with a recommendation?” —Dr. Greco [04:11]

Important Timestamps

• 00:51 – Dr. Greco’s background and evolution into patient experience roles
• 02:14 – Rachel Hamilton’s background, current role at NRC Health
• 03:41 – Rationale and beginnings of the Nemours/NRC Health case study
• 07:01 – Detailed strategies for translating data into equity-focused action
• 12:40 – How patient experience became a patient safety imperative
• 15:14 – Broader lessons and best practice recommendations
• 18:04 – Preview and goals for the 2026 Pediatric Collaborative

Conclusion

The conversation underscores that actionable data, combined with empathy and persistent cross-functional collaboration, can yield measurable improvements in both equity and outcomes for patient and family experience. By making the patient story central, tying metrics to safety and clinical relevance, and committing for the long haul, Nemours and NRC Health illustrate a model for systemic transformation in pediatric care.

For more information:

• Register for the Pediatric Collaborative or read the joint Nemours/NRC Health case study at nrchealth.com [19:57]