Patient Experience Software : 5 Criteria to Consider When Choosing One

By Guillermo Fernandez-Tremblay, Patient Experience Technology Specialist, July 30, 2025

Patient experience is a strategic lever in healthcare. Practices are increasingly oriented toward Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC), placing the patient at the center of decisions.

The goal is to understand, from the patient's point of view, how care was experienced and its impact on their quality of life, in order to guide clinical and organizational decisions.

For your healthcare organization, a good patient experience software is more than just a survey tool. It allows you to:

• ➡️ systematize the collect of reliable and comparable data directly from the field ;
• ➡️ centralize data and information in dashboards ;
• ➡️ support continuous improvement of care and services by quickly identifying pain points and opportunities for enhancement.

Here are 5 essential criteria to help you choose a digital solution that aligns with your clinical, organizational, and technological realities—and to turn patient experience into a true driver of continuous improvement.

1. Automated Collection of PREMs and PROMs to Measure What Really Matters

In a value-based care model, measuring patient outcomes is essential. This is exactly what PROMs (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures) and PREMs (Patient-Reported Experience Measures) are designed to do.

Use patient experience software that simplifies the collect of PREMs and PROMs through automation, by enabling:

• ✅ automatic creation of patient profiles through EHR integration or import (CSV), avoiding manual entry ;
• ✅ configuration of rule-based groups that trigger questionnaire distribution at the right moment (e.g., 3 months post-op), based on patient type, service, or care path ;
• ✅ automated sending of PROMs and PREMs via email, SMS, or portal without human intervention ;
• ✅ automatic stopping of data collection when a cycle is completed, a goal is met, or based on a custom criteria (e.g., program exit).

2. Interoperability With Other Clinical Tools (Like EHRs) to Avoid Tech Silos

Ensure the patient experience solution you're considering is truly compatible with your EHR to avoid complicating processes and discouraging the software adoption by clinical teams.

For example, does it offer an API that allows both systems to communicate and facilitate data centralization, or is it a 100% standalone solution?

Smooth compatibility with Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can mean:

• ✅ configurable integration bridges using standard protocols like HL7 or FHIR ;
• ✅ manual export of results (e.g., in PDF) to the EHR, making them available alongside other clinical data ;
• ✅ patient profile creation via CSV import to quickly integrate targeted cohorts (e.g., post-op or chronic patients) into specific care pathways.

💡 A powerful software also supports care coordination and management by offering:

• a patient tracking dashboard to monitor response progress (identify non-respondents, filter by clinical criteria) ;
• a workflow builder to automate questionnaire or information dispatch based on clinical triggers (hospital discharge, post-op appointment).

3. Enhanced Data Security With Proven Compliance

Patient experience software manages highly sensitive data that must be protected with the highest level of security.

Ensure your chosen solution includes robust settings for:

• ✅ secure data storage in certified, reliable environments ;
• ✅ access control with traceability of who accessed or modified the data ;
• ✅ proper consent tracking from patients ;
• ✅ secure communications (email, SMS, patient portal).

💡 Look for recognized certifications to ensure data security compliance, such as:

• SOC 2 certification for security, confidentiality, and integrity of data processing;
• GDPR compliance for processing personal data according to European regulations.

4. Digital Accessibility Designed for All Patient Profiles

To ensure all users can easily access patient experience software and have a voice in their care journey, consider the following:

A Patient Experience Platform That Accommodates Diverse Users

Choose an accessible tool adaptable to various patient profiles. This includes a simple, clear, and user-friendly interface, plus:

• ✅ content display across multiple devices (computer, mobile, tablet) ;
• ✅ audio reading or assisted navigation options ;
• ✅ multilingual support.

A Platform That Promotes Effective Communication

Reach patients actively by providing essential care-related information. Two features can be particularly impactful:

• ✅ personalized emails with informative content to foster patient understanding and engagement (e.g., how to prepare for surgery, post-discharge follow-up);
• ✅ a secure messaging system for healthcare professionals to manage message frequency and delivery.

💡 Accessible data collection improves data quality and representativeness : by reducing accessibility bias, you get a more accurate picture of care performance and can better adjust your processes.

5. Turning Data Into Actionable Decisions With Artificial Intelligence

In a patient experience–centered approach, questionnaires are a goldmine of information for guiding decisions in your healthcare setting.

Manual analysis is often slow and not scalable. This is where AI adds value by enabling:

• ✅ classification of text comments into recurring themes (e.g., reception, clarity, pain, waiting time);
• ✅ detection of sentiment or intent (praise, suggestions, dissatisfaction) using natural language processing (NLP) algorithms;
• ✅ automatic translation of comments, integrating them into analysis—critical for multilingual or diverse language regions.

💡 Choose analytics tools with filters based on HL7 metadata – age, gender, care pathway, location, or care touchpoints – to go beyond average satisfaction scores and detect key variations across patient groups.

Choose a Solution That Turns Patient Experience Into a Strategic Asset

Selecting a patient experience platform is a strategic decision for any healthcare organization seeking to enhance quality and improve care pathways.

By applying the five criteria outlined here, you increase your chances of selecting a platform that enables you to:

• ➡️ accurately measure patient experiences and outcomes;
• ➡️ quickly analyze data to inform clinical and organizational decisions;
• ➡️ automate and integrate data collection without burdening internal processes;
• ➡️ reach all patients—regardless of profile—to ensure equitable participation.

You’ll now be equipped to transform patient experience into a tangible lever for quality, engagement, and continuous improvement.

Find out how Lime's patient experience (PREMs) and patient engagement (PROMs) solutions can contribute to continuous improvement in your healthcare facility.