Northwestern Medicine: Empowering Nursing Excellence Through Real-Time Patient Feedback

At Northwestern Medicine’s Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, “Patients First” is more than a mission; it is the foundation of the care experience. As one of the few freestanding acute rehabilitation hospitals with Magnet designation, Marianjoy is nationally recognized for nursing excellence and patient outcomes. Every member of the care team, from leadership to bedside nurses, is deeply committed to creating a welcoming, compassionate environment that supports healing and celebrates progress.

To support that commitment, Marianjoy partnered with Medallia to capture and act on real-time patient feedback. Through easy-to-use dashboards and visual heatmaps, clinical teams can quickly spot trends across key experience areas like care coordination, pain management, and responsiveness. Open-ended feedback also plays a crucial role, providing unfiltered insights into what matters most to patients, from specific staff shout-outs to unexpected needs, fueling targeted coaching and peer recognition.

These insights led to several process improvement initiatives, including hourly rounding, bedside handoffs, and standardized education plans. As a result, patient satisfaction improved significantly, call light use declined, fall rates decreased, and the hospital achieved a 200 percent improvement in patient education scores. Beyond metrics, Medallia has helped Marianjoy build a more agile, responsive culture where staff feel empowered, connected to their purpose, and celebrated for the exceptional care they provide.