Maz Iqbal poses an important question in his blog regarding customer experience: Is the human spirit the difference that truly makes the difference? I believe so! Especially when considering his question in light of the mission and purpose of healing organizations like hospitals, while it is not the only important element, most definitely the human spirit is the key difference in my opinion. In a recent article, Jason Wolf, Executive Director of The Beryl Institute, writes that in his year-in-review of Patient Experience writings and literature, "The themes I found in looking at this year reveal words that speak to that very humanness at our core in healthcare--empathy and compassion, caring and communication, commitment and hope, and yes even love." In my December blog for Hospital Impact, I described four key ingredients for creating an exceptional patient experience, namely, calling, empathy, compassion and making an emotional connection -- all of which derive and find their motivation from the human spirit. And, in my most recent blog with Hospital Impact, I share a moving story of two human spirits making a connection that goes beyond words and that left both the hospital caregiver and family member moved by their experience of one another. While clinical outcomes, patient safety, and even certain amenities and service standards are critical to the patient (customer) experience, without the human spirit, the healing portion of curing cannot and will not occur. Therefore, like Maz Iqbal, I conclude that the human spirit is the difference that truly makes the difference for the patient (customer) experience. The human spirit makes the difference when optimizing healing healthcare.