Safety, Teamwork, and Communication Drive Patient Trust and Loyalty

21 July 2025

Press Ganey’s analysis of 10.5M patient encounters reveals how leading systems are closing gaps in safety, equity, and experience

Press Ganey, the leader in experience measurement, analytics, and strategic advisory services for health systems and health plans, today released Patient Experience 2025, an extensive report drawing insights from 10.5 million patient encounters across every care setting. The findings underscore a fundamental truth: patient experience reflects how reliably organizations deliver safe, communicative, and team-based care—particularly as expectations rise and care journeys grow complex.

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare environment, subpar experiences often result not from lack of intent or effort, but from lapses in reliability—whether in unplanned admissions, fragmented digital touchpoints, or unclear communication. The data reveals a clear path forward: organizations that prioritize safety and embed empathy and operational consistency into daily practices, while cultivating strong internal cultures, consistently earn patients trust and outperform peers on both experience and loyalty metrics. 

Experience isn’t just a reflection of care—it’s the new frontier of care delivery,” said Patrick T. Ryan, Chairman and CEO of Press Ganey. “The systems that will lead in the next decade are those that approach trust, communication, and consistency not as soft skills, but as hard strategy. Our data makes it clear: when organizations embed experience into the core of how they deliver safe, high-quality care, they earn lasting loyalty and drive better outcomes across the board.

Key Insights from Patient Experience 2025

Experience on the Rise: Patient experience scores are trending upward, driven by stronger communication, coordination, and access—especially in outpatient settings. Since 2019, “Likelihood to Recommend” (LTR) scores have increased by 1.7 points in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), 2.8 points in medical practices, and 0.5 in emergency departments (EDs). Inpatient scores, though still below pre-pandemic levels, rose 0.9 points year over year. 

Clarity is Critical in Unplanned Admissions: Patients with unplanned admissions report the lowest experience ratings and are 16% less likely to recommend the hospital. These moments demand clearer communication and consistent processes to restore patient confidence and trust. 

Teamwork Multiplies Trust: Effective care team collaboration is a powerful driver of patient trust.  The data shows a strong link between teamwork and LTR scores. With CMS now asking patients whether their “care team worked well together,” teamwork has emerged as a leading factor of loyalty across all care settings.  

Safety and Equity are Loyalty Levers: When patients rate safety as “very good,” LTR scores are dramatically higher. When they don’t, scores fall below the 1st percentile—underscoring safety’s central role in trust. Equity is equally critical: organizations with the most consistent experiences across demographic groups are nearly three times more likely to be top performers, demonstrating that equity and excellence go hand in hand.  

Building Systems Patients Can Rely On

Top-performing health systems are shifting from reactive service recovery to a discipline of reliability. They use data to anticipate risk, respond quickly, and build trust through behaviors and communication—before, during and following care. For example, Press Ganey data shows post-discharge communication can boost LTR scores by over 20 points. 

Patient experience reflects how a system lives its mission—one person at a time,” said Chrissy Daniels, Chief Experience Officer of Press Ganey. “The most forward-thinking leaders apply high-reliability principles across the care continuum, from bedside to digital. When patients feel safe, supported, and respected, outcomes improve—and trust is earned.

To explore the full report and learn more about strategies for building reliable, equitable experiences, visit: pressganey.com/px2025.