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Gathering with Purpose
It’s Christmas Eve. This is a day defined by gathering. Whether you are celebrating, working the night shift, or savoring a quiet moment, today’s energy is about connection.
If you are hosting family or friends, you know the mental checklist: Does Aunt Sarah have the vegetarian option? Is the guest room warm enough? Did I leave the porch light on so they can find the driveway?
You are not just processing guests through your home. You are practicing anticipatory care. You are predicting friction points and removing them before anyone notices. You are signaling: You belong here. You are safe here.
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The Difference Between Service and Welcome
In healthcare, we often focus on process and efficiency. We verify insurance, check birthdates, and hand out clipboards. Throughput is measured. Satisfaction is tracked by asking, did the transaction happen? But experience is harder to quantify. Did they feel welcomed?
This season highlights the difference. Satisfaction is having enough chairs at the table. Experience is knowing who needs the chair with extra back support.
Today, patients are often asked to re-tell their story at every touchpoint. Support may come only after a problem arises. According to Dialog Health’s 2025 benchmarks, friction at the front door makes patients four times more likely to switch providers. Why? Because as Baylor Scott & White’s hospitality studies show, loyalty is not built on transactions. It is built on feeling like a guest.
How Healthcare Can Scale the Feeling of Belonging
Lighting the Digital Porch: Just as you would recognize a family member’s voice through the door, Agentic AI now uses biometric authentication to recognize patients instantly. Instead of an interrogation (“What is your date of birth?”), they get a welcome. Technologies like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center allow us to authenticate by voice in seconds, removing the friction of identity and letting the patient know: We know you, and you belong here.
Anticipating Needs Before Arrival: We do not wait for a guest to struggle up the stairs. We prep the room downstairs. In healthcare, we can use predictive analytics to identify mobility or transportation risks before the patient leaves their home. Systems like those used at Corewell Health analyze social determinants to flag needs early, ensuring a wheelchair is waiting at the door. It is not just logistics. It is hospitality.
Passing the Story Forward: There is nothing less hospitable than asking a guest to re-introduce themselves to every person in the room. In clinical terms, forcing patients to retell their story is a primary cause of re-traumatization. By implementing "Warm Handoff" protocols, the contact center agent passes the narrative directly to the clinical team so the patient arrives understood, not exhausted.
A Holiday Invitation
As you gather this week, notice how you anticipate needs, create safety, and make people feel seen. How can we build a system that treats patients like guests, every day, not just on Christmas Eve?
That is the shift that moves us from cost center to center of trust.
Wishing you a season of peace, health, and belonging.
See you in 2026.
Eb-
Your Next Strategic Move
Reflect with me: What is one small way your organization could be more hospitable next year? Hit reply and share. I read every message.
Or, Ready for 2026? If you are ready to stop processing patients and start anticipating their needs, let us build your roadmap. Book a Q1 Strategy Discovery Call.
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About Your Strategist
Ebony sitting at table talking on phone
Ebony Langston is the founder of The Patient Experience Strategist and helps healthcare executives transform contact centers from cost burdens into quantifiable revenue engines. She spent 20+ years leading operations and sales for Fortune 100 healthcare payers, driving millions in revenue growth through strategic patient access optimization.
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