40 years of experience.
After spending 18 years in clinical nursing and nursing leadership, Lyn cut her teeth early in the area of patient satisfaction and has spent the last 22 years helping organizations navigate what is arguably one of the hardest agenda's to drive sustained improvement. Lyn brings a depth and breadth of experience that is unparalleled in the areas of Leadership Development, Accountability, Executive Coaching, Cultural Enhancement and Patient/Employee/Physician satisfaction improvement.
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Nursing practice innovator.
Lyn co-authored the largest study ever conducted on reducing call lights which was published in AJN in September 2006 and in conjunction with that study, the practice of hourly rounding became an internationally recognized part of nursing practice. She is often referred to as, “the birth- mother of hourly rounding”.
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Awards and Achievements
Malcolm Baldridge Winner - Studer Group - 2010
Published co-author of The Nurse Leader Handbook: The Art and Science of Nurse Leadership - 2010
Published co-author of The HCAHPS Handbook: Tactics to Improve Quality and the Patient Experience - 2015
Becker’s Hospital Review “Top 25 CXO’s To Know” list - 2017, 2018, 2019
Published co-author of The Nurse Leader Handbook: The Art and Science of Nurse Leadership - 2010
Published co-author of The HCAHPS Handbook: Tactics to Improve Quality and the Patient Experience - 2015
Becker’s Hospital Review “Top 25 CXO’s To Know” list - 2017, 2018, 2019
Full Biography.

Lyn Ketelsen has experienced health care in a variety of settings and roles for 40 years. She brings a depth and breadth of experience that is unparalleled in the areas of Leadership Development, Accountability, Executive Coaching, Cultural Enhancement and Patient/Employee/Physician satisfaction improvement. She is a sought-after speaker and has spoken internationally for small and large audiences. She currently shares her expertise via her consulting practice KLK Leading Change Inc.
Lyn recently retired from her position as the first Chief Patient Experience Officer at HCA Healthcare and held that role for 5 years. HCA has over 180 hospitals in 22 states and the UK. They have 280K employees, 90K nurses, 60K active physicians and 2000 care locations. The role was established to provide strategy, tools, and resources to ensure “a pervasive and unyielding commitment to exceptional patient experience”.
Lyn’s responsibilities and accomplishments included establishing and centralizing corporate strategy, structure and data reporting systems. It also included creating alignment across the enterprise by identifying and executing best practices. In addition to operationalizing the above, Lyn was successful in moving the corporate results more than a decile during her tenure. She made Becker’s Hospital Review “Top 25 CXO’s To Know” list the last 3 years.
Prior to joining HCA, Lyn worked for the Studer Group for 13 years. In her role as a senior leader and coach, she worked with hundreds of organizations to put prescriptive elements in place that drive results. During her tenure with Studer Group, she co-authored the largest study ever conducted on reducing call lights which was published in AJN in September 2006 and in conjunction with that study, the practice of hourly rounding became an internationally recognized part of nursing practice. She is often referred to as, “the birth- mother of hourly rounding”. Also, while at Studer Group, she was an integral member of the leadership team that was responsible to ensure systematic processes and systems were in place and participated in the application process and site visit team that culminated in receiving a Malcolm Baldrige Award in 2010.
She is a co-author of The Nurse Leader Handbook: The Art and Science of Nurse Leadership published in 2010 and more recently Lyn co-authored The HCAHPS Handbook: Tactics to Improve Quality and the Patient Experience, which was published in 2015.
Lyn graduated with her MBA from the University of Iowa and her nursing degree from Blackhawk College. She is married and has 6 grown children and 13 grandchildren. She currently resides in Nashville, TN.
Lyn recently retired from her position as the first Chief Patient Experience Officer at HCA Healthcare and held that role for 5 years. HCA has over 180 hospitals in 22 states and the UK. They have 280K employees, 90K nurses, 60K active physicians and 2000 care locations. The role was established to provide strategy, tools, and resources to ensure “a pervasive and unyielding commitment to exceptional patient experience”.
Lyn’s responsibilities and accomplishments included establishing and centralizing corporate strategy, structure and data reporting systems. It also included creating alignment across the enterprise by identifying and executing best practices. In addition to operationalizing the above, Lyn was successful in moving the corporate results more than a decile during her tenure. She made Becker’s Hospital Review “Top 25 CXO’s To Know” list the last 3 years.
Prior to joining HCA, Lyn worked for the Studer Group for 13 years. In her role as a senior leader and coach, she worked with hundreds of organizations to put prescriptive elements in place that drive results. During her tenure with Studer Group, she co-authored the largest study ever conducted on reducing call lights which was published in AJN in September 2006 and in conjunction with that study, the practice of hourly rounding became an internationally recognized part of nursing practice. She is often referred to as, “the birth- mother of hourly rounding”. Also, while at Studer Group, she was an integral member of the leadership team that was responsible to ensure systematic processes and systems were in place and participated in the application process and site visit team that culminated in receiving a Malcolm Baldrige Award in 2010.
She is a co-author of The Nurse Leader Handbook: The Art and Science of Nurse Leadership published in 2010 and more recently Lyn co-authored The HCAHPS Handbook: Tactics to Improve Quality and the Patient Experience, which was published in 2015.
Lyn graduated with her MBA from the University of Iowa and her nursing degree from Blackhawk College. She is married and has 6 grown children and 13 grandchildren. She currently resides in Nashville, TN.