Colleague Connection: Connecting Culture to Patient Outcomes

At a recent Colleague Connection session, Tina Bennett, Chief Experience Officer at Yale New Haven Health, shared lessons from her organization's journey to strengthening culture, accountability, and patient experience.

A key theme throughout the discussion was "200% accountability" — the expectation that every team member is responsible not only for their own actions, but also for helping colleagues uphold organizational values. Tina emphasized that culture is built through daily behaviors, leadership presence, and a shared commitment to accountability.

The conversation also highlighted the connection between culture and clinical outcomes. According to Tina, trust, compassion, responsiveness, and mutual respect are not simply patient experience initiatives — they are essential components of safe, effective care. These efforts have helped Yale New Haven Health achieve significant milestones, including its first-ever five-star hospital rating and Grade A safety rating.

Additional insights included the importance of visible leadership, empowering team members to speak up regardless of role, and creating clear expectations around professional behaviors. Tina encouraged organizations to consistently reinforce their mission, vision, and values through both formal programs and everyday interactions.

As Your Health continues its Purpose Path journey, the session provided valuable perspective on how strong organizational culture can support both exceptional patient experiences and better outcomes.

Thank you to Tina Bennett for sharing her experience and helping advance the conversation around culture, accountability, and patient-centered care.