Providence has hired Michelle Edwards to serve as the system's first chief experience officer.
Edwards, who is set to begin Jan. 11, is currently senior vice president for advanced practice at CommonSpirit Health.
Renton, Wash.-Providence joins other health systems across the country that have added an experience officer to the C-suite. The position is relatively new to the healthcare industry as systems face pressure to offer a good experience for patients due to new payment models, competitive markets and higher expectations from patients to have a consumer-oriented experience.
But a recent trend shows some health systems have eliminated the chief experience officer role after trying it out, instead integrating it with other positions in the C-suite such as the chief medical or quality officer.
As chief experience officer at Providence, Edwards will focus on ensuring a "seamless" and "modernized" experience for patients, focusing in particular on digital access to services, according to a news release.
Edwards will report directly to Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, chief clinical officer at Providence. "Ensuring our patients have access to the easiest and most appropriate path of care is a top priority at Providence and we are excited to see what she will accomplish," Phillips said in the release.
Edwards has an educational background in nursing.
