Swaay.Health sat down for an exclusive interview with Adam Cherrington, Vice President of Digital Health at KLAS Research to get his take on the latest on patient experience. Earlier this year, KLAS hosted the Patient & Consumer Innovation Summit in Salt Lake City with a powerhouse lineup of speakers and panelists. We wanted Cherrington’s top takeaways.

Key Takeaways

Listening isn’t optional—it’s a competitive advantage. Marketers who truly engage with patient feedback are seeing better results than those who treat it as a checkbox. Patient voice should inform both messaging and digital experience decisions. Stop assuming you know what patients want. Just because we’ve all been patients doesn’t mean we understand today’s patient expectations. Conduct direct outreach—just like any good marketing campaign—to avoid designing solutions in a vacuum. Digital access and self-service tools are finally aligning with patient demand. Health systems are catching up to what patients have long prioritized—digital front doors, self-scheduling, and streamlined intake. Marketers should spotlight these features in brand messaging and conversion strategies. Treating Patient Voice as Strategy, Not Sentiment

Cherrington’s comments in the interview makes plain what smart marketers and product managers have known for a while – it pays to listen to patients. When patients say your self-scheduling tool is confusing or that appointment reminders are inconsistent, that’s not a complaint—it’s a roadmap.

“You might have the best technology in the world,” said Cherrington. “It might be exactly what is needed to solve challenges and produce outcomes, but if it’s not adopted, if it’s not delivered in a way that’s important to patients, does it matter? It’s really unique that in healthcare we just make those assumptions.”

Too often, marketing teams treat “listening” as a checkbox rather than a channel for strategic guidance. According to Cherrington, the smartest healthcare brands are embedding patient feedback loops directly into service design, digital experiences, and messaging strategy.

You’re Not the Patient—Stop Designing Like You Are

One of the biggest missteps in healthcare marketing is assuming our own experiences as patients translate to what everyone else wants. But the truth is, they don’t. Great marketing starts with understanding—not assuming. Just like we wouldn’t launch a campaign without researching our audience, we shouldn’t design patient journeys based solely on internal perspectives. That means surveying real patients, analyzing support calls, and sitting in on usability sessions. The payoff? Messaging and tools that resonate—and convert.

“Yes, we’re all patients,” said Cherrington. “But no, we can’t assume we know what patients want just because we are patients.”

Digital Front Door Priorities Are Finally Aligning with Patient Needs

Here’s some good news. According to Cherrington, health systems are starting to prioritize what patients have wanted all along – Self-scheduling. Streamlined intake. Access that doesn’t require a phone call.

“A few years ago, there was a huge gap between patients’ desire for things like self-scheduling and patient intake,” stated Cherrington.  “We’re seeing that those are priorities for health systems now.”

These aren’t new ideas—but the alignment between patient expectations and organizational action is finally happening. For marketers, this is a golden opportunity. Don’t just market services—market access. Highlight ease, control, and transparency in your messaging, and watch your engagement metrics improve across the board.

Now’s the Time to Act—Before Someone Else Does

Patient expectations aren’t softening—they’re sharpening. The teams that win will be those that listen early, design intentionally, and act with empathy. Patients are speaking. It’s your move.

Learn more about KLAS Research at https://engage.klasresearch.com/