At Northwest Kidney Centers, we believe the best care starts with listening.
A few years ago, we took a closer look at how our patients felt about their care. What we learned helped us make meaningful changes across our clinics — and those changes made a real difference.
Listening comes first
We began by reviewing patient survey results to better understand what mattered most to the people we serve. Patients told us they wanted clearer communication, more comfort during treatment, and reliable scheduling. Most of all, they wanted to feel heard.
Instead of treating patient experience as just a score, we chose to treat it like a relationship — built on trust, compassion, and follow‑through.
Turning feedback into action
To make sure patient voices led to real change, our clinical leaders began checking in regularly with patients using a simple set of questions focused on their needs and concerns. When an issue came up, leaders followed up and worked with clinic teams to quickly address it.
We also paid special attention to clinics that were struggling. Our Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Erica Lockley, partnered directly with those teams to create clear, practical action plans. These plans focused on empathy, patient comfort, dependable scheduling, and regular team check‑ins.
Real results, over time
By listening closely and acting consistently, we saw steady improvement. In just two years, patient satisfaction scores rose significantly, moving Northwest Kidney Centers into the 81st percentile nationally compared to other dialysis providers. In simple terms, that means our scores now rank among the top clinics across the country.
These results didn’t happen overnight. They came from small, everyday changes — made by staff who care deeply about their patients and are committed to doing better each day.
Always learning, always improving
Our work doesn’t stop here. We continue to listen, learn, and make improvements based on patient feedback. Every conversation helps us better understand how we can support patients through their kidney care journey.
We’re grateful to our patients for sharing their voices — and to our care teams for turning those voices into action.