Patient Experience in Healthcare: Operations & Team Culture (with Andrew Lovewell)

Guest Bio

Andrew Lovewell is the CEO of Columbia Orthopedic Group, a 60-year-old practice recognized for its leading ambulatory surgery center, integrated musculoskeletal services, and exceptional patient experience. With a career spanning academic medicine, hospital operations, and private practice management, Andrew is an expert in ambulatory surgery centers, orthopedic practice growth, and healthcare business strategy.

Episode Overview

Most healthcare organizations say they’re patient-centered. Andrew Lovewell’s team actually proves it—every single day.

In this episode, host Josh Anderson sits down with Andrew to unpack how Columbia Orthopedic Group has built and sustained a 4.9+ star rating with thousands of reviews while juggling growth, technology change, and shifting reimbursement pressures. Andrew walks through how they measure patient satisfaction at every level, why they added a digital education and messaging platform, and how that small “post-op” improvement moved already high scores even higher.

They dive into building winning teams in a fast-changing environment, why he hires for humility and culture fit over résumés, and how he encourages staff to challenge the status quo—even if it means killing old processes that “we’ve always done.” Andrew also shares how they think about marketing in a 60-year-old practice where word of mouth is still king, and what’s ahead: a new integrated pain center and a fully consolidated orthopedic ecosystem under one roof.

If you care about experience, operations, and culture—not just in healthcare, but in any service business—this episode is stacked with transferable playbook moves.

Key Takeaways

• Start with the patient’s “why,” not your product. Patient satisfaction begins with understanding why they’re there, what’s valuable to them in that moment, and working backward from their needs—not your internal processes.
• Measure relentlessly—and listen for the uncomfortable truth. NPS, reviews, and surveys are only useful if you’re willing to ask, “What could we have done better?” and actually act on the answers.
• Post-op is part of the experience, not an afterthought. Adding a digital engagement platform (videos, messaging, education) dramatically improved communication, reduced inbound calls, and nudged their already-strong patient satisfaction even higher.
• Hire for humility and team fit—not just credentials. Skills can be trained; mindset and collaboration are harder to fix. Andrew looks for people who handle difficult situations well, communicate clearly, and are willing to be part of something bigger than themselves.
• Question the status quo—and be willing to stop doing things. Encouraging staff to ask “Why are we doing this?” helps uncover waste, outdated processes, and opportunities to simplify the patient experience.

Favorite Quotes

“If I’m the patient, what’s valuable to me? And then what can we do as an organization to deliver that value to patients and then exceed expectations?” — (02:48)

“You might have the perfect product right now, but you don’t have it in a month. The evolution of the customer is going to change too—and so are their expectations.” — (04:52)

“We were great at surgical care. We weren’t always great at follow-up. So we asked: how easy is it to get ahold of us—and what’s their preferred way to communicate?” — (05:36)

“If I’m only sitting down once a year to review your performance, I’m failing you and you’re failing me.” — (13:20)

“If they’re willing to ask why about something small, they’re definitely going to ask why about something big—and that’s exactly what I want.” — (15:29)

“A book-sized packet of post-op instructions is lost on people today. A 30-second video that shows what their incision should look like—that’s what works.” — (06:45, paraphrased segment)

Playbook: How to Apply

1. Map the full experience—not just the “core service.”
   Don’t stop at the moment of purchase, treatment, or delivery. List every touchpoint before, during, and after your core service: scheduling, check-in, follow-up questions, billing, education, and support. Ask, “If I were the customer here, what would feel confusing or stressful?” That’s your opportunity to upgrade the experience.
2. Layer in simple, scalable educational touchpoints.
   Replace long, dense documents with short, clear formats: short videos, text-based FAQs, automated reminders, and simple visuals. Think: “What’s the one question people always call about?” Create a lightweight digital asset that answers it and send it proactively. You’ll reduce inbound volume and boost satisfaction.
3. Build a culture of weekly feedback and radical transparency.
   Move beyond annual performance reviews. Implement a weekly or bi-weekly cadence where leaders and team members discuss what’s working, what’s not, and where friction exists—for both staff and customers. Make it normal (and safe) to say, “This process doesn’t make sense anymore” and to ask “why” without fear.
4. Let data and reviews shape your roadmap.
   Track NPS, online reviews, and survey responses by location, service line, or team. Look for patterns in praise and complaints. Is follow-up slow? Are instructions unclear? Is access a pain point? Use those insights to prioritize operational projects, technology upgrades, or new service lines—just like Andrew’s team did with their interventional pain center and orthopedic urgent care.

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