Bridget Duffy, MD, Joins Vital’s Board of Directors, Bringing Unmatched Expertise in Humanizing the Patient Experience

Vital.io, an AI-powered patient experience company, proudly announces the appointment of Bridget Duffy, MD, to its board of directors. A pioneer in the movement to humanize healthcare, Dr. Duffy brings decades of clinical, operational, and executive leadership experience focused on improving the care experience for patients, families, and healthcare workers.

Empowered by professional experiences and personal stories, Dr. Duffy inspires industry leaders to reimagine the future of healthcare with digital and AI solutions. Dr. Duffy, widely regarded as the nation’s first chief experience officer (CXO) in healthcare, is internationally recognized for her transformative work in experience innovation. As the former CXO of the Cleveland Clinic, she helped define a new era in healthcare where empathy, trust, and connection are as critical to quality outcomes as clinical excellence. She later co-founded ExperiaHealth, a company devoted to restoring humanity to healthcare, which was acquired by Vocera Communications, where she served as chief medical officer until its acquisition by Stryker in 2022.

“Dr. Duffy’s deep commitment to human-centered design and her visionary leadership will be a tremendous asset to our company,” said Aaron Patzer, CEO and Founder of Vital.io. “Her expertise in clinician engagement, patient experience, and system transformation aligns perfectly with our mission to simplify hospital workflows and reduce burnout while improving patient outcomes. We’re honored to welcome her to the Vital team.”

Vital.io leverages smart, intuitive technology to deliver real-time updates, education, and actionable next steps directly to patients and their families during hospital visits—without requiring them to download an app or create a login. Used by leading health systems across the United States, Vital’s platform is proven to enhance operational efficiency, reduce emergency department length-of-stay, and dramatically improve patient satisfaction scores.

“Healthcare is at a critical inflection point, and we need technology partners who lead with empathy and innovation,” said Dr. Duffy. “Vital.io is uniquely positioned to reimagine how hospitals communicate with patients, reduce cognitive overload for clinicians, and build trust through transparency and personalized care experiences. I’m excited to support this extraordinary team as they shape the future of digital health.”

Dr. Duffy also co-founded the CEO Coalition, a national movement advocating for healthcare workforce well-being and safety. Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the "Top 50 in Digital Health" by Rock Health in 2014 and recognized as one of the "Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business" by the San Francisco Business Times in 2015.

With Dr. Duffy’s addition to the board, Vital.io strengthens its commitment to building healthcare technology that is not only intelligent but also deeply human.

Vital also announced two executive promotions. Nicholas Sterling, MD, PhD, former director of clinical innovation and research, has been promoted to chief medical informatics officer (CMIO) and Michael Rogozinski, former director of clinical quality and innovation, is now chief nursing officer (CNO).

About Vital.io

Vital is an AI-powered patient experience company on a mission to make the patient journey better—for everyone. Real-time updates, predictive wait times, plain-language explanations of test results, and simplified discharge instructions all help patients feel valued and reassured. Because, the experience matters as much as the medicine. Ranked by KLAS as #1 in patient experience, Vital achieves concrete results: 30–50% fewer LWOBS/AMA, 10–15% higher NPS, stronger HCAHPS scores, reduced ED returns, and 5–7% lower 30-day readmissions. Designed to integrate seamlessly with existing EHR systems, Vital provides a user-friendly interface that engages patients, resulting in 60%+ adoption rates, 5-10x higher than the competition. View our product overview.

Media Contact:
Marcia Rhodes
Amendola Communications for Vital
mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com