NYU Langone Health introduces program to enhance patient experience and satisfaction

A program to increase patient satisfaction and appointment efficiency leverages healthcare providers' oldest tool, their humanity.

You're running late for a medical appointment. Maybe you hit traffic, you couldn't find your phone, or life simply happened. You rush through the hospital's revolving doors, greeted by gleaming floors, suspended artwork, and a sea of people, each carried by their own urgent narrative. The minutes until your appointment tick down as you scan the corridors. A visitor screener intercepts you, "Good morning. Which department are you headed to?" After quickly checking your information, he gestures toward the east wing. As you turn in that direction, a warm voice breaks through: "Hi, I'm Hala. Can I walk you to your appointment?"

This moment marks the beginning of NYU Langone Health's I'll Walk with You Program, an initiative that's reimagining how patients experience healthcare institutions. The concept is simple: Visitor Screening greets patients and then assigns a volunteer to walk them to their appointment. Its impact, however, cuts to the heart of quality care.

Some 80  to 90 percent of patients require some form of directional guidance when entering a large health system."

JohnRoss Rizzo, MD, health systems director of disability inclusion at NYU Langone

And 40 to 50 percent end up getting lost. "These statistics are directly correlated with missed or late appointments, mangled schedules, increased anxiety, and even compromised care."

The consequences of getting lost in a hospital extend beyond tardiness. "Imagine you go to see your cardiologist, and you're so stressed because someone inadvertently bumped into you, and you got turned around several times trying to find the right pathway, elevator, and clinic," Dr. Rizzo explains. "By the time you reach your doctor, you are so stressed, and your cognitive reserve is so compromised, that you barely retain what you are being told about your diagnosis or, worse yet, treatment."

The program's volunteers—currently 23 in total, with more in training — reflect New York City itself. Some are college students eyeing careers in medicine, while others are retirees giving back to the institution that once cared for them or their loved ones. Hala Abdullah, 23, a volunteer from Queens, discovered her calling during the isolation of COVID-19.

"I realized I had never really ventured outside my neighborhood," says Hala. "I wanted to experience the world and be useful. I was taught life doesn't just depend on what you do in school, but rather how you apply those lessons to serve your community. Volunteering is part of that for me."

Hala explains her cohorts aren't just guides, but companions. "It is really fun! Being a volunteer means they are your guest, and you are having an experience together. Some of them are coming in for surgery, so you get to provide a distraction and calm their nerves. The patients appreciate it, and we get to make an impact."

Crystal Monique Moore, with a steady presence and aspirations in healthcare, sees the program as a gateway to the medical field. "The volunteer program is a great way for someone to learn about the organization and become familiar with its culture, especially if they are switching industries," says Crystal. She's even developed her own signature strategy: giving preview directions and maintaining a slightly slower pace to ensure her patients' comfort.

Hala, driven by her lifelong commitment to medicine and patient advocacy, is applying to medical school and sees the program as a vital opportunity to deepen her understanding of patient care. "This is the perfect way for someone to understand the patient experience before they enter a doctor's office," she says.

This level of hospitality, unprecedented in major medical centers, is part of NYU Langone's effort to show patients and colleagues that they are valued. With 3,000-plus patients accompanied to their appointments thus far, the hospital is tracking metrics like on-time arrivals and patient satisfaction, with early feedback suggesting significant impact. They're planning to expand to 105 volunteers, providing coverage from 8:00AM to 8:00PM, seven days a week.

Sometimes the most meaningful innovations are also the most human. As one patient from Texas, rushing in from a delayed flight, put it when offered an escort: "Oh, thank God." In that moment of relief lies the program's true measure: not just in getting patients where they need to go, but in showing them they're not alone in getting there.