BY KATHRYN RUSCITTO,
ADVISOR
I often wonder why the patient experience feels complete in one medical practice yet lacking in another. The answer usually lies in a collection of touchpoints: how the phones are answered, how staff greet patients, whether communication remains consistent between visits, and how issues are resolved when something goes wrong. These visible moments are only part of the story, but together they reveal the culture.
Exceptional patient care requires alignment across every department. Positive experiences reflect an organizational culture built on clear goals for every encounter, every person, and every time. Even when miscommunications arise, a strong culture ensures they are handled with courtesy, responsiveness, and accountability.
Leadership establishes this baseline and must hold itself to the same standards expected of everyone else. Hiring, training, and recognition programs should all reinforce the same core values. When expectations are transparent, team members flourish, morale improves, and retention is more likely to increase. Mutual respect is also critical. A healthy culture must clearly articulate expectations for patient behavior, especially given the recent rise in workplace safety challenges. Patients deserve compassionate care, and staff deserve a safe, respectful environment in which to provide it.
The key elements of a strong culture include safety and trust, accountability and decision- making, feedback and innovation, and work-life balance and growth. These principles should be stated clearly and revisited as the organization changes. Culture is not a one-time announcement; it is something that must be reinforced every day through leadership actions, team behavior, and organizational systems.
As Michael Watkins noted in Harvard Business Review, “Culture is the organization’s immune system.” This idea captures the role culture plays in clinical practice: it helps teams respond to stress, navigate unexpected challenges, and access the right support when problems arise. It also shapes what the organization tolerates, what it rewards, and how it behaves under pressure.https://hbr. org/2013/05/what-is organizational-culture
Looking back on a career in healthcare leadership, it is natural to think about how often l truly walked in the team’s shoes. While rounding can provide perspective, deeper listening often reveals whether an organization is living its values and whether the culture is supporting staff. Patient and client perspectives matter just as much. Surveys offer value, but in-person feedback creates a unique opportunity to ask follow-up questions, learn more deeply, and better understand what people are actually experiencing.
Finally, the empathy gap must be addressed. Many patients do not fully understand current workforce shortages or the administrative delays that affect care. It is helpful to provide that context and advocate for patience and kindness toward frontline staff. At the same time, the frustration patients feel when they cannot access care or communicate with providers is real. The challenge is to communicate these realities honestly while staying true to the organization’s values.
Resources for Building a Strong
Culture in Clinical Practice
• American Medical Association – Leading Change https://edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/pages/leading-change
• National Center for Healthcare Leadership https://www.nchl.org/
• National Academy of Medicine – Culture of Health Program https://nam.edu/our-work/programs/culture-ofhealth-program/–
Kathryn Ruscitto, Advisor, can be reached at linkedin.com/in/kathrynruscitto or at krusct@gmail.com
