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Patient Communications Landscape 2022
Leveraging Communication Tools to Drive Outcomes
Author
Adam Cherrington
Author
Dan Czech
As patients’ expectations have evolved and provider organizations’ technology has matured, the need for quick, easy, ongoing patient/provider communication has become even more prevalent. It is often no longer sufficient to merely push communications to patients (e.g., appointment reminders). This study examines and defines the current landscape of patient communications solutions—including how they are used; how easy they are to set up, customize, and use on an ongoing basis; and what outcomes they are helping organizations to achieve.
The Patient Communications Landscape Defined
One of the primary goals of this study is to help provider organizations better understand and differentiate the solutions in the market. Historically, KLAS’ patient outreach category has included all solutions whose primary function was communicating with patients. Going forward, solutions will be placed in one of two categories: patient communications or patient-driven care management. This report focuses on both types of solutions under the umbrella term “patient communications landscape.” To compete and meet patients’ needs and expectations, organizations should consider the depth of patients’ needs and the unique capabilities in either or both of these categories. Note that this report focuses on third-party vendors; typically, EMR and clinical communications vendors’ capabilities in these areas are measured in KLAS’ patient portal and clinical communications research, respectively.
Narrower Patient Communications Solutions from RevSpring (Limited Data), CipherHealth, Relatient at Increased Risk of Replacement
Organizations are looking for solutions that can support their intended use cases. WELL Health and Klara (the latter with limited data) are often deeply adopted across broad use cases. Almost all interviewed clients plan to keep the solutions long term. Vendors adopted more narrowly are at higher risk. Among interviewed RevSpring clients (limited data on use cases), only appointment reminders and broadcast messaging are used deeply, though RevSpring’s financial experience focus has potential to help expand financial use cases. Customers planning to leave cite functionality gaps and competition from broader vendors. CipherHealth and Relatient are validated for broad use cases but mostly used more narrowly. CipherHealth respondents’ predominant use case is post-visit follow-ups; about one-third also do post-visit education and care-gap reminders. Organizations looking to leave say broader deployment would have increased value but was prevented by cost/resource constraints. Most Relatient respondents use appointment reminders and broadcast messaging, and a moderate number leverage patient/provider and ad hoc messaging. Those planning to leave are mainly small practices that cite limited functionality, uncertainty the tool works as designed, and support challenges—though recent support scores show signs of improvement.
WELL Health, Luma Health, CipherHealth Deliver Easy-to-Use Solutions for Patients and Office Staff
In this market, provider organizations are looking for a strong user experience for both patients and office staff. WELL Health, Luma Health, and CipherHealth customers consistently report their solutions are highly usable for both groups. WELL Health customers say the tool is very intuitive for staff. Also, patients can easily adapt to the texting platform (most patients’ preferred communication method). Luma Health customers report the user interface is flexible and easy for staff members to use; they specifically mention how quickly staff users can create patient forms. The system is also convenient for patients to use and generates few complaints. CipherHealth customers find the platform easy to navigate and appreciate the ability to have near-real-time communication with discharged patients without direct calls from a nurse. Organizations also say patients have positive experiences with the automated call system. PatientBond (limited data) is also quite usable for staff and patients; office staff are supported by up-front training, while patients appreciate the convenience and personalized nature of the solution’s psychographic-focused outreach. Limited data on Intrado suggests clients are satisfied with the product usability—specifically, clients say patients feel the messages are intuitive and it is easy to understand how to manage appointments. Office staff like that they can easily send real-time, urgent notifications.
Clinical Outcomes Make Klara (Limited Data) Unique among Patient Communications Vendors; Among Both Vendor Types, Financial Outcomes Often a Byproduct of Clinical & Administrative Focus
Customers using patient communications vendors most often highlight administrative outcomes (e.g., reduced no-shows, reduced administrative burden), while customers of patient-driven care management vendors more often focus on clinical outcomes (e.g., reduced readmissions, reduced length of stay). Ambulatory-focused Klara (limited data) stands out among patient communications vendors in this report because all interviewed customers said they are seeing clinical outcomes—increased patient education and preparation for procedures, patients’ ability to share test results, and patients’ ability to get clinical guidance outside the normal care setting. Get Well is the only other vendor with >50% of respondents citing outcomes across all three types. Customers feel they can be in constant communication with patients without adding FTEs, and this leads to better procedure preparation and subsequent patient-reported outcomes (PROs). When asked about financial outcomes, many organizations (across both categories) said financial outcomes are seen as a downstream effect of clinical or administrative outcomes (reduced readmissions, reduced no-shows) rather than the primary goal. Relatient, WELL Health, and Twistle each had a customer mention unique financial outcomes: automated payment plans, up-front co-pays, or analytic-driven financial visibility.
Wolters Kluwer Excels at Prebuilt Content, while Twistle (Limited Data) Creates Easy-to-Customize Content; Get Well Meets Both Needs
An important aspect of patient-driven care management solutions is the ability to get patients’ journeys started quickly with prebuilt content while also enabling customized content to meet the organization’s or department’s specific needs. Get Well customers report strong, customizable prebuilt content that can meet clinicians’ preferences. Several respondents say that at times they have to go through Get Well to customize content (no self-service option); however, the vendor’s turnaround times for customization do generally meet clients’ expectations. Twistle by Health Catalyst (acquired in 2021) receives praise from customers about how easily they can customize content pathways, specifically noting the self-service aspect. The standard pathways the vendor delivers are very often customized; this may be because many clients are specialty groups. One customer organization said they felt Twistle’s pathways aren’t on par with others in the industry. Wolters Kluwer customers report that the high quality of the content, particularly the educational materials, gives them a solid foundation but that custom content can be expensive and Wolters Kluwer must build the content.
Vendor Bottom Lines
Patient Communications Vendors
CipherHealth
Validated for many use cases, primarily used for post-visit follow-ups (CipherHealth’s initial focus). Vendor seen as a responsive partner that is flexible in customizing content. High-quality prebuilt content, particularly for post-discharge use cases. Stronger clinical outcomes (e.g., reduced readmissions) than most patient communications solutions. Strong usability for office staff and patients. Recently announced CipherConnect solution to support patient/provider communications.
Intrado
Rebranded from West to Intrado in 2019. New HouseCalls Pro product validated broadly (for 12 of the 17 measured capabilities), with all customers doing appointment reminders. Limited data shows customers are highly satisfied with integration, overall functionality, and ease of use. Mixed feedback on support and service; some feel Intrado could be more proactive, responsive, and innovative.
Klara
Acquired by Modernizing Medicine in early 2022 (data in this report collected prior to the acquisition). Focused on small to midsize practices. Validated for all use cases, though most often used for appointment reminders and patient/provider messaging. All customers report improved clinical outcomes. Support personnel are accommodating and responsive. Ease of use better for office staff than patients; some patients struggle to sign in to the app or don’t have smartphones.
Luma Health
Used for many use cases, including all measured clinical and administrative use cases. Some respondents feel prebuilt content isn’t flexible enough to meet their specific practice needs, though most like the self-service customization. Most outcomes are administrative (e.g., time savings, automatically filled appointments, increased patient satisfaction, reduced no-show rates). Some clients say it can be challenging to find available support staff.
PatientBond
Focused on psychographic-driven communication. Limited data from customers shows better capture of patient experience data as the main outcome; several also mention effective delivery of clinical results to patients during COVID-19. Recent evaluations describe the vendor as responsive and more proactive than they have been in the past.
PerfectServe
PerfectServe acquired CareWire in 2019. Validated for nearly all use cases, with appointment reminders and pre-visit education standing out. Limited data on PerfectServe shows varied outcomes. CareWire considered a reliable standalone platform. Some customers report integration challenges that limit the product’s impact.
Relatient
Recently rebranded platform as Dash by Relatient following their 2021 merger with Radix Health; this also includes changes in leadership. Dash modules will include Dash Engage, Dash Schedule, and Dash Intake. Most use cases validated; appointment reminders and broadcast messaging capabilities consistently deployed. Almost all customers say the software drives reduced no-show rates. User interface not very intuitive; staff requires training to effectively navigate the portal and generate needed reports. Feedback on support is mixed; some customers cite communication barriers and a lack of proactive service. Part of this is related to partnership arrangements with other vendors that may create some separation from the main Relatient support structure. Recent feedback suggests early signs of improvement to support.
RevSpring
Customers mostly focused on appointment reminders, with a significant portion also doing broadcast messaging. The vendor’s core offering of patient financial engagement has potential to expand financial use cases. Respondents praise customized practice-specific messaging and cite outcomes like improved volume of patients seen and reduced no-show rates. Lags behind the market for patient and office staff ease of use; more up-front training is often required for office staff success. Support is responsive but not proactive.
SR Health by Solutionreach
New SR Health Platform gaining traction among larger organizations. Validated for 11 of the 17 use cases, including all administrative use cases. Limited data shows mixed reviews on support and service. Though the system integrates with most EMRs, organizations feel integration is not sufficiently automated—some patients receive confusing, inaccurate appointment reminders, especially if they have multiple appointments scheduled on one day. Both patients and office staff experience some usability challenges.
Upfront
Validated for 11 of the 17 capabilities. Limited data shows strong partnership from Upfront has facilitated patient adoption and engagement. Rated high for delivery of new technology; however, customers express concern about scaling challenges as Upfront rapidly grows.
WELL Health
Multiyear Best in KLAS winner. Validated for all measured use cases. Significant adoption of appointment reminders and broadcast messaging. Ease of use for patients and staff and ease of customization are highly rated. All interviewed customers report administrative outcomes. In addition to reduced no-show rates, customers point to better overall communication with patients, increased staff efficiency, ability to reschedule appointments, and increased portal adoption. Need for more consistent, responsive support is commonly mentioned, though recently surveyed customers mention signs of improvement.
Other Validated Patient Communications Vendors
Millennia Patient Services (Jellyfish Health)
Jellyfish Health was acquired by Millennia in 2021. Validated for 10 of the 17 measured use cases—mostly clinical and other communication types, such as patient surveys and ad hoc messaging.
Odeza, an Ensemble Health Partners Company
Odeza was acquired by Ensemble Health Partners in 2021. Validated for 14 of the 17 measured use cases, including all administrative and financial use cases.
Vocera
Vocera acquired Ease solution in 2020. Focused on capabilities that keep friends and family members in the loop with patients. Validated for 7 of the 17 capabilities. KLAS has spoken to very few customers.
Patient-Driven Care Management Vendors
Get Well
Acquired HealthLoop in 2018. Broad adoption among several use cases; nearly all customers use Get Well for pre- and post-visit education and patient guidance/care navigation. Outcomes include reduced readmissions, better patient preparation for surgery and better post-procedure PROs, and increased patient satisfaction. Quality of prebuilt content and ability to customize are seen as strengths. Some customers report challenges since the acquisition (e.g., declining support, less agile functionality development).
Twistle by Health Catalyst
Twistle was acquired by Health Catalyst in 2021. Validated for all but one of the 17 use cases measured. Customers report deep adoption of patient/provider messaging, patient guidance/care navigation, and family/caregiver collaboration. Strong customization ability; prebuilt content often customized to meet clients’ unique needs and seen as an area for improvement. Reported clinical outcomes include clinical adherence and compliance, reduced readmissions and length of stay, and better condition management (through patient-reported outcomes measures).
Wellbe
Strong adoption for pre-visit education, patient guidance/care navigation, and post-visit follow-ups. Limited data shows Wellbe is a good partner in helping customers successfully build custom content. Most interviewed clients report clinical and administrative outcomes. Service and support reported to be well staffed and responsive.
Wolters Kluwer
Acquired Emmi in 2016. For this study, KLAS measured EmmiEngage, which is part of the broader Emmi platform. Frequently validated for pre- and post-visit education. Sets customers up for success with strong prebuilt content and education materials. Can be costly to customize content to meet the needs of the organization. Often drives better patient education for procedures and chronic conditions, which helps reduce readmissions and decrease length of stay. A few customers note the content can look dated. Feedback on EMR integration is mixed.
Other Validated Patient-Driven Care Management Vendors
Quil
Quil is a joint venture between Comcast and Independence Health Group. Partnered with pCare in 2020. KLAS has spoken with early customers, who validated usage of 8 of the 17 use cases, mostly clinical. Small customer base.
About This Report
The data in this report comes from two sources: (1) KLAS’ standard quantitative evaluation for healthcare software, and (2) a supplemental evaluation tailored specifically for the patient communications market. Interviews were conducted between March 2021 and March 2022.
KLAS’ standard quantitative evaluation is composed of 16 numeric ratings questions and 4 yes/no questions, all weighted equally. Combined, the ratings for these questions make up the overall performance score, which is measured on a 100-point scale. The questions are organized into six customer experience pillars—culture, loyalty, operations, product, relationship, and value.
To supplement the customer satisfaction data gathered with the standard evaluation, KLAS also created a supplemental evaluation to delve deeper into several questions specific to the patient communications market. This evaluation asked respondents about the ease of two-way communication with patients, the quality of prebuilt content, the ability to create custom content, and any outcomes driven by the solution.
Sample Sizes
Unless otherwise noted, sample sizes displayed throughout this report (e.g., n=16) represent the total number of unique customer organizations interviewed for a given vendor or solution. However, it should be noted that to allow for the representation of differing perspectives within any one customer organization, samples may include surveys from different individuals at the same organization. The table below shows the total number of unique organizations interviewed for each vendor or solution as well as the total number of individual respondents.
Some respondents choose not to answer particular questions, meaning the sample size for any given vendor or solution can change from question to question. When the number of unique organization responses for a particular question is less than 15, the score for that question is marked with an asterisk (*) or otherwise designated as “limited data.” If the sample size is less than 6, no score is shown. Note that when a vendor has a low number of reporting sites, the possibility exists for KLAS scores to change significantly as new surveys are collected.
Writer
Amanda Wind Smith
Designer
Madison Moniz
Project Manager
Andrew Wright
This material is copyrighted. Any organization gaining unauthorized access to this report will be liable to compensate KLAS for the full retail price. Please see the KLAS DATA USE POLICY for information regarding use of this report. © 2024 KLAS Research, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NOTE: Performance scores may change significantly when including newly interviewed provider organizations, especially when added to a smaller sample size like in emerging markets with a small number of live clients. The findings presented are not meant to be conclusive data for an entire client base.