Rick Evans is a nationally recognized pioneer, thought leader, and expert in the field of patient and consumer experience in healthcare, having served in facility and system leadership roles for nearly 30 years.
Most recently, Rick served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Experience Officer for NewYork-Presbyterian. In this role, he oversaw NYP’s ongoing strategy to improve and enhance the patient and family experience across NYP’s continuum of care and its 11 facilities in and around New York City. Rick also led enterprise-wide efforts — collaborating with leaders from the Columbia and Weill Cornell Physician Organizations — to improve access and the customer experience across an extensive network of over 700 ambulatory sites. In June 2026, Rick transitioned from a full-time role to a strategic advisor role at NYP.
Earlier in his career, Rick served as the first Chief Experience Officer appointed at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts General Physicians Organization in Boston, MA. He also led patient experience and operations roles in healthcare systems in Delaware and New Jersey.
Rick is a member of the American Nurse Credentialing Center’s Magnet Commission, serving as the Commission’s Public Member. He also serves as an Executive Advisor for The Beryl Institute, where he leads the work of the national Patient Experience Policy Forum. In addition, Rick is the current Chair of the New York State Patient Experience Officers Network, sponsored by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS).
Rick is a Visiting Lecturer at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University and has offered lectures at both Harvard University’s Chan School of Public Health and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
A regular featured presenter at national and international conferences, Rick is a columnist and podcast host on patient and consumer experience issues with Becker’s Healthcare. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Wadhams Hall Seminary College in Ogdensburg, NY, and a Master’s degree in Theology from Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, NY.
Understanding the Foundations of Patient ExperienceCornell Course
Understanding the Foundations of Patient Experience ()
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Course Overview
Leadership in improving patient experience must be grounded first in an understanding of what patient experience actually is and what drives an excellent one. Research and patient feedback over the last 20 years have brought greater clarity to these foundational concepts, including commonly held definitions and consistent themes indicating where improvement efforts should focus. At the same time, patient experience is not one size fits all; it’s shaped by individual perspectives, expectations, emotions, and the diverse needs of the populations healthcare organizations serve. This course will equip you with the foundational framework that any successful improvement effort is built upon. You will explore the core concepts and principles that shape patient experience, including patient- and family-centered care and the factors that influence how patients and families perceive their care. You'll examine the role of communication in building trust and confidence, consider how coordination across the care journey affects the experience, and identify common sources of friction that can undermine it. By the end of this course, you will have a framework for evaluating the patient journey and identifying opportunities to create more consistent, responsive, and patient-centered experiences within your organization.
Key Course Takeaways
- Define patient experience and explain the principles of patient- and family-centered care
- Analyze how patient and family perspectives, expectations, and emotions shape the care experience
- Apply communication practices that build trust, confidence, and coordinated care
- Identify sources of friction in the patient journey and evaluate strategies to improve patient experience
How It Works
Course Length
2 weeks
Effort
3 to 5 hours of study per week
Format
100% online, instructor-led
Course Author
Visiting Lecturer, Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
Who Should Enroll
- Physician leaders, healthcare executives, and hospital administrators responsible for organizational strategy, clinical operations, service lines, or facilities where patient experience is measured and improved
- Healthcare providers and care team members — including physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals — who deliver care and shape the patient and family experience at the front line
- Quality, safety, and performance improvement managers responsible for data-driven improvement initiatives, measurement, or regulatory reporting
- Patient experience and service excellence professionals responsible for experience strategy, survey data, patient feedback, or improvement interventions
- Healthcare board members and community stakeholders providing governance and oversight of organizational performance and patient-centered care
- Project managers, planners, and designers developing healthcare facilities, workflows, or technology that impact how patients and families experience care
Get It Done
100% Online
100% Online
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