Patient experience scores are rebounding — but the gap between top and bottom performers is widening

Patient experience scores across U.S. healthcare settings have hit new highs — or at least climbed back to where they were before COVID-19 disrupted everything. A new Qualtrics report drawing on 43.1 million patient encounters found that metrics like Likelihood to Recommend (LTR) reached record levels in ambulatory surgery, medical practices, inpatient, and emergency department settings through 2025. Good news, right? Mostly — but the national trendline masks some stark disparities.

The report's deeper dive reveals that not all providers are keeping pace. Top-quartile hospitals show an 8.9-point gap in LTR between planned and unplanned admissions, while bottom-quartile hospitals see that gap balloon to 18.2 points. Operational friction — things like scheduling hurdles, poor care coordination, and communication breakdowns — was found to drag down experience scores more than clinical care factors.

Key Takeaways:

• Patients who reported no operational friction gave hospitals an LTR of 90.6, vs. 60.3 when friction was present
• Units in the top quartile for teamwork were nearly twice as likely to earn top hospital ratings
• High-trust environments (as reported by employees) were 2.4x more likely to be top performers
• Bedside shift handoffs boosted LTR from 68.3 (planned admission, no handoff) to 76.5 (unplanned admission, with handoff)

Why it matters: For healthcare leaders, this report is a roadmap: the organizations pulling ahead aren't just improving care quality — they're building systems that deliver consistent, friction-free experiences every time. Teamwork, trust, and operational reliability are emerging as key competitive differentiators.