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Putting “Patient Suffering” on the National Healthcare Agenda: Press Ganey

When Press Ganey Chief Medical Officer Dr. Thomas H. Lee introduced a new way of thinking about healthcare quality — centering not just on patient satisfaction, but on reducing patient suffering — it represented a fundamental reframing of how the industry evaluates care.

The Challenge

Thomas H. Lee, Chief Medical Officer at Press Ganey, had developed a defining new framework for healthcare: that reducing patient suffering — not just improving satisfaction scores — should be the central goal of care delivery.

Press Ganey needed to introduce this concept to national media, build credibility around it, and drive sustained industry dialogue.

The Strategy

Create a National Moment

Organized a high-impact NYC press tour with top business and healthcare journalists.

Reframe the Narrative

Positioned “patient suffering” as a new paradigm for thinking about patient experience and healthcare quality.

Dual Executive Storytelling

Aligned messaging between Dr. Lee (clinical framework) and CEO Patrick Ryan (business and industry implications).

The Result

A single-day press tour translated into breakthrough national coverage that introduced “patient suffering” into mainstream healthcare discourse.

The story became a foundational narrative for Press Ganey and helped establish long-term thought leadership momentum for the organization.

The Impact

Meetings Secured With:

  • The Wall Street Journal
  • Bloomberg
  • The New York Times

Additional Impact:

  • Narrative became cited foundation for Dr. Lee’s book An Epidemic of Empathy in Healthcare
  • Cemented Press Ganey as a thought leader in patient experience and healthcare quality
  • Sparked sustained national and industry-level dialogue beyond the initial press cycle

Featured Coverage

  • Front-page New York Times feature reframing patient suffering as a national healthcare priority, and secondary analysis in NYT on the strength of the pitch and narrative framing
  • Rapid syndication across healthcare trade media including Becker's, Modern Healthcare, and Health Data Management

Results Like These Start With a Conversation.

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