As a previous luxury Hotel Executive, Mr. Gierlinger brings a unique perspective to the patient experience dialogue. However, it was his personal patient experience spending three months in hospitals that motivates him to challenge and disrupt the status quo in healthcare. As Senior Vice President & Chief Experience Officer for Northwell Health, New York’s largest integrated healthcare system and one of the largest in the country, Mr. Gierlinger is driving culture transformation grounded in patient centeredness and empathy.
Mr. Gierlinger came to Northwell Health from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit where he served as Vice President, Hospitality and Service Culture, responsible for creating a superior and consistent service experience for patients, visitors and employees. Mr. Gierlinger worked closely with leadership to drive culture change around improving the customer experience in every encounter across the system. Prior to that, he was an Administrator, Hospitality Services, for Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, responsible for all aspects of non-clinical operations, the Wellness & Integrative Health Center, retail shops, café, and the customer experience. Additionally, he was an integral part of the team, leading the efforts to achieve the acclaimed Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award.  

Mr. Gierlinger began his career in the luxury hotel business, holding a series of leadership positions with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. He played a key role in the openings of several Ritz-Carlton hotels in Germany, Japan, Indonesia and the United States, responsible for executing and implementing Ritz-Carlton service standards, training staff, and leading teams of educators.
Mr. Gierlinger is an Executive Board member at The Beryl Institute, and a Founding Council member of the Institute of Innovation. He received a bachelor’s degree in hospitality business administration from the Bavaria Hotel Management Academy, Altoetting, Germany.


Presentation Synopsis
Every Moment Matters: Northwell Health’s Pragmatic Approach to Elevating Patient Experience

Today’s healthcare landscape is incredibly complex and competitive. In a world of consumerism patients have choice, families seek information, and customers hold the power of loyalty. Northwell Health, New York’s largest integrated healthcare system, has been on a cultural transformation grounded in elevating the patient and family experience. Join Sven Gierlinger, Northwell’s Senior Vice President & Chief Experience Officer, as he reflects on the organization’s phased and multi-faceted approach within key pillars of Culture, Care Delivery, Hospitality and Accountability.  This informative session will feature a strategic approach to patient experience, data driven insights, transferable best practices and patient testimonials.

From Liability to Asset:  Northwell Health’s Food Transformation Journey

Historically, hospitals around the globe are infamous for poor quality of food. Valuing food as a tenant of health and well-being – Northwell Health, New York’s largest integrated healthcare system, continues to transform its hospital food program to become an asset and market competition differentiator. By focusing on structure, workforce, procurement and process, Northwell has improved patient experience performance in “Quality of Food” significantly, with minimal impact on budgetary cost.  Sven Gierlinger, Senior Vice President & Chief Experience Officer will take participants on a storytelling journey, highlighting his transition from “hotels to healthcare,” and how that impacted his vision and approach to getting the right talent at the right time, shift culture and truly change the way we see hospital food – that food is care.