Episode 499 The Leadership Strategy Behind Top 10% Patient Satisfaction with Tracey Carson
Great hospital results rarely come from a single initiative. They come from leaders who get clear about what matters, align their teams around those priorities, and then have the discipline to follow through consistently.
In this episode of The Lead Up Podcast, Mike Harbour sits down with Tracey Carson, CNO at UNC Health Johnston, for a practical conversation about the leadership practices behind strong patient experience, employee retention, accountability, and organizational performance.
Tracey and her team have moved patient satisfaction into the top 10th percentile nationally, earned Leapfrog A ratings at both hospitals, achieved a CMS four-star rating, and maintained employee turnover under 14%.
Throughout the conversation, Tracey shares what is happening behind those results.
Mike and Tracey explore how UNC Health Johnston has aligned nursing leaders around a clear set of priorities, created transparency through scorecards and daily measurement, and built accountability into the everyday rhythm of the organization. Tracey also explains why knowing the “why behind the what” is critical when leaders are trying to turn expectations into behaviors that last.
They also discuss one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare leaders today: protecting leaders’ time so they can actually lead. Tracey shares why her nurse leaders have permission to say no to meetings that don’t support their priorities, allowing them to spend more time on their units, rounding with patients, connecting with staff, coaching their people, and removing barriers.
This conversation is a reminder that improving patient experience and building a high-performing culture doesn’t always require another new initiative. Often, it requires greater clarity, alignment, accountability, and consistency around the practices we already know matter.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How UNC Health Johnston moved patient satisfaction into the top 10th percentile nationally—and the leadership practices behind those results.
- How aligning leaders around a small number of priorities creates greater accountability, consistency, and organizational focus.
- Why protecting leaders’ time from unnecessary meetings allows them to spend more time with patients, employees, and developing their teams.
- How using data, rounding, and clear expectations helps leaders identify barriers, improve performance, and build a culture where people want to stay.
About Tracey Carson
Tracey Carson is Chief Nursing Officer at UNC Health Johnston in North Carolina, where she has spent more than 18 years helping advance patient care, nursing leadership, and organizational performance.
Under her leadership, nursing teams have developed a disciplined approach to patient safety, patient experience, leadership rounding, accountability, and continuous improvement. UNC Health Johnston has achieved top-decile patient satisfaction results, Leapfrog A ratings at both hospitals, a CMS four-star rating, and employee turnover below industry norms.
Tracey is passionate about developing healthcare leaders, creating clear expectations, removing barriers for frontline teams, and building a culture where patients remain at the center of care.
Connect with Tracey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-carson-ba784b37/
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to The Lead Up Podcast, leave a review, and share it with another healthcare leader who is working to improve patient experience, strengthen accountability, and build a culture where both patients and employees can thrive.
