Valle del Sol Uses Relias XM to Become Data-Driven and Improve Client Satisfaction

Valle del Sol wanted to gather data on how its services were perceived by clients. To do this, it used tailored surveys from Relias XM to anonymously gather patient feedback. The anonymity of the process encouraged more honest, open feedback, which Valle del Sol was able to turn into better insights.

When it first launched Relias XM’s patient surveys, Valle del Sol found that its patient satisfaction rating was 72%. Early data revealed pain points ranging from transportation issues to wait times and facility conditions. The insights informed both quick fixes — like repainting clinic walls — and larger strategies, like creating a transportation coordination team and updating reminder call cadences.

But, utilizing Relias XM, it was able to turn this data into a strategic driver of operational improvements, community outreach, and expansion. By implementing policy changes, transportation solutions, and virtual visit options, it was able to drive down no-show rates and improve the services it offered. And since the average annual cost of no-show appointments in the US has hit $150 billion, this means huge potential savings for Valle del Sol.

After making these changes, Valle del Sol saw its patient satisfaction climb to 96% in just two years.

What’s more, it has used feedback data to justify the opening of a seventh clinic and created a culture of responsiveness and empowerment across staff.

“Other organizations say feedback is ‘nice to have.’ But we’ve proven it’s essential. It’s helped us fix HR issues, improve clinical quality, and expand services.” said Rachel Valenzuela, Chief Community Engagement Officer at Valle del Sol. “Our patient satisfaction rose 24 points. That score tells me the changes we’ve made are working.”

Improving perception in the community

With improved services in place, Valle del Sol used Relias XM to gauge how likely its patients would be to recommend services and to better market within surrounding communities. First, Valenzuela and her team utilized Relias XM to ask patients, on a scale of 1-10, how likely they would be to recommend Valle del Sol as a healthcare provider. When Valle del Sol initially launched the NPS survey, it received a score of 76. This put it f irmly in the “Excellent” category, according to NPS creators Bain & Company. But, after two years of improvements, Valle del Sol’s NPS score increased to 83 — a “world class” score.

Valenzuela and her team are also able to redirect this large number of promoters to leave reviews on sites like Google. Relias XM comes with functionality that will funnel survey takers to these review sites, turning satisfied patients into effective marketers.

When asked how Relias XM helped her team achieve such great results, Valenzuela said: “This isn’t just a patient survey tool. It’s our internal compass. If our satisfaction score dips below 93%, I know something’s wrong and we act immediately.”

Creating a culture of patient-centered operations

One of the things that has made these results possible is Valle del Sol’s empowerment of their staff. When a patient leaves feedback on staff members, no matter their role, it gets passed on to the appropriate person in the organization who can either mitigate an issue or provide praise. “We’ve embedded feedback into every level. Front desk staff mention it; providers mention it. Patients know their voices are heard here,” Valenzuela said.

This process has given staff members a greater sense of ownership of the patient experience. This, in turn, has created a culture shift, where everyone in the organization feels accountable for the level of patient satisfaction. “Relias XM is also a human resource tool, to be honest, because it creates a culture shift,” Valenzuela said.