Enhancing Provider Engagement through Peer-to-Peer Coaching: The Provider Ambassador Program

Jason Vallee, Office of Care Experience, the Value Institute, Dartmouth Health, Lebanon, NHFollow
Jodi Stewart, Office of Care Experience, the Value Institute, Dartmouth Health, Lebanon, NHFollow
Sam Verkhovsky, Office of Care Experience, the Value Institute, Dartmouth Health, Lebanon, NHFollow
Steve Del Giudice, Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Concord, Concord, NHFollow
Janet Aug, Cheshire Medical Center, Keene, NHFollow
Amanda Higgins, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NHFollow
James Perry, Office of Care Experience, the Value Institute, Dartmouth Health, Lebanon, NHFollow
Alice Kennedy, Office of Care Experience, the Value Institute, Dartmouth Health, Lebanon, NHFollow
Brant Oliver, Office of Care Experience, the Value Institute, Dartmouth Health, Lebanon, NHFollow

Abstract

Provider burnout and disengagement are associated with diminished patient satisfaction, reduced clinical quality, and adverse organizational outcomes. Peer-to-peer coaching has emerged as a promising, scalable intervention to support provider engagement and improve the patient care experience. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Provider Ambassador Program, a structured peer-to-peer coaching initiative designed to improve patient satisfaction by enhancing provider communication, professional behavior, and patient engagement skills. A pre-post quasi-experimental design was used to assess changes in provider CG-CAHPS ``Provider Overall'' top-box scores following coaching. Eligible providers (n = 83) across five BLANK Health locations were identified based on top-box scores below the 75th percentile. After accounting for attrition, 70 providers remained eligible. Of these, 26 (37%) received at least one structured coaching session. A matched control group of similarly underperforming but uncoached providers (n = 16) was included for comparison. Among all 26 coached providers, top-box scores increased by a mean of 8.8 percentage points (P < .05), while the control group experienced a slight decline (mean change: -0.7 percentage points; P < .05 between groups). These results demonstrate that structured, peer-delivered coaching significantly improves patient-reported satisfaction among low-performing providers, supporting the Provider Ambassador Program as a replicable, high-value model for improving both patient experience and provider engagement in ambulatory care settings.

Recommended Citation

Vallee J, Stewart J, Verkhovsky S, Giudice S, Aug J, Higgins A, Perry J, Kennedy A, Oliver B. Enhancing Provider Engagement through Peer-to-Peer Coaching: The Provider Ambassador Program. Patient Experience Journal. 2026; 13(1):455-460. doi: 10.35680/2372-0247.2116.