About this episode

Brian Carlson discusses the importance of workforce culture in enhancing patient experience at Vanderbilt Health.

“Healthcare, in my opinion, is the ultimate team sport.” I love this quote from today’s guest. And it reminds me that patient experience is not just about the patient; it starts with every member of that patient’s care team. If they do not feel respected, trusted, and valued, it will absolutely impact the experience of their patients. Brian Carlson, VP of Patient Experience of Vanderbilt Health, knows that trickle down effect all too well. And, as a result, he’s been building the patient experience at that organization from the inside out. The outcome? Year-over-year improvement in patient experience scores. Over 80% participation in voluntary patient experience training. Three times over having the organization vote “YES!” to continue this type of training. Experience matters, and Brian has the data to prove it. Brian Carlson leads enterprise strategy for patient experience, workforce culture, and digital engagement across the 40,000-person Vanderbilt Health system. Brian’s work focuses on the intersection of culture, operations, and technology, including AI-enabled approaches to experience management and patient engagement at scale. He has led major initiatives in patient…

People in this episode

Host: Zeev Neuwirth

Guest: Brian Carlson

Topics covered

• patient experience
• healthcare culture
• team dynamics
• workforce training
• digital engagement

Keywords

• patient experience
• healthcare
• workforce culture
• digital health
• AI-enabled approaches

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vanderbilt Health

More episodes of Creating a New Healthcare

• (Living Well) Wearables? What to Do with all that Data with Marco Benitez, Founder and CEO, ROOK · July 14, 2026 · 37 min
• (Living Well) Staying Healthy: The Real Deal · July 7, 2026 · 16 min
• Episode #230 Creating Opportunities for Health Through Design with Abbie Clary, Executive Director, Health for All · June 16, 2026 · 30 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Creating a New Healthcare podcast page.