Kelsey Powell Spills the Tea on Fixing Patient Communication in Healthcare

I’m excited to welcome Kelsey Powell, VP of Strategy & Operations at Vital, to the podcast! We dive into the challenges and opportunities of patient communication in healthcare and how leaders can make the experience feel more like retail or hospitality while staying true to patient trust and privacy. In this conversation, you’ll hear about: Kelsey’s career path from healthcare consulting to leading strategy and operations at Vital. Why patient communication remains one of the toughest problems in healthcare and what’s at stake. The real outcomes leaders should measure beyond “time saved” from portal engagement to reduced readmissions and stronger HCAHPS scores. How data, analytics, and AI can power more personalized care without sacrificing privacy. Where health systems are making big leaps toward seamless, patient-centered experiences and where they’re still getting it wrong. Why EHR tools alone can’t deliver the kind of communication patients expect today. How trust and loyalty are built through patient experience tools that empower both patients and providers. Kelsey also shared her leadership habits, her approach to self-care, and the mentors who helped shape her career. And yes, she brought her tea and mug story along for the ride!