Engineering the Patient Journey: How Provider Data Powers Digital Experience

In today’s healthcare landscape, consumers expect the same level of simplicity, reliability and personalization from their providers that they get from their favorite retail or tech brands. CHRISTUS Health, a Catholic not-for-profit system with more than 600 care centers across the U.S. and abroad, knows this reality all too well. With 10.2 million lives served and a $540M annual community benefit, the organization has a bold vision: deliver a superior, seamless digital experience that makes care accessible, reliable and personal. 

The Challenge: Strikes and Implosions 

Like many health systems, CHRISTUS initially underestimated the complexity of provider data management. Their early missteps, talking only to physicians, overlooking governance and skipping user testing, led to what they call “three strikes.” The result? Implosions. A failed internal provider directory project, followed by a disastrous health plan directory issue, underscored the stakes. In one case, the team was given just a single weekend to fix a system-critical error. 

These failures revealed a simple truth: without robust provider data infrastructure, even the most consumer-friendly platforms collapse under the weight of inaccurate or inconsistent information. 

Meeting the Consumer Where They Are 

The modern patient doesn’t search for “orthopedic physician with subspecialty in lateral epicondylitis,” they type in “elbow pain” or “tennis elbow.” CHRISTUS faced a threefold challenge: 

• Consumer challenge: Make it easy for patients to find the right provider. 

• Organizational challenge: Ensure data about providers is accurate, transparent, and consistent. 

• Technology challenge: Bridge the gap between medical terminology and natural language searches. 

Their answer? Build a Digital Front Door powered by Kyruus PMA, consolidating multiple data sources into a single, reliable source of truth. 

From Lessons to Transformation 

CHRISTUS learned that technology alone couldn’t solve the problem, governance and change management were the real milestones. They reimagined the provider’s search experience by prioritizing specialty in search fields, surfacing availability for new patients and adding filters like location and travel time. 

Consumer-centric touches included travel-time estimates (by car or public transit) and the option for patients to select preferred appointment times. These design updates reflected a deeper shift: putting the consumer, not the system, at the center of the experience. 

What’s Next for CHRISTUS 

The future lies in personalization. CHRISTUS plans to lean even further into consumer-first strategies, tailoring the digital journey to each patient. Because in the end, as the team emphasized, “The only person who has a chance to overrule a physician is the consumer.” 

The Takeaway 

CHRISTUS Health’s journey is a cautionary tale and an inspiration. Missteps are inevitable, but they become powerful lessons when paired with a willingness to evolve. By grounding their strategy in governance, data integrity, and consumer expectations, CHRISTUS is proving that provider data management isn’t just an IT issue, it’s the backbone of the modern patient experience.