Patients can reach providers in a variety of ways, including phone, texts, and online meetings, and the experience is consistent in every channel. When a clinic employee is speaking with a patient at a larger practice, that individual’s information appears onscreen during the conversation. After the appointment is booked, the patient receives an automated SMS before the event, which increases the likelihood the patient will show up to receive the needed care.

By putting a healthcare communication platform in place, providers and patients alike can reap the benefits of greater coordination. For example, a nurse preparing to discharge a patient could perform a screen-share with other clinicians during the course of a video conference, so that all providers could be on the same page with the patient’s condition and treatment, and no errors would be made.

Effective communication can save money; a study carried out at Johns Hopkins Community Healthcare Partnership showed that patients receiving coordinated care after discharge saved the healthcare system $4,295 per beneficiary.

Researchers estimate that one-quarter of all 30-day hospital readmissions are preventable.

If there’s an adverse reaction to a medication, for example, he or she could call a phone number that would connect the patient with an outpatient care call center. The call center agent, in turn, would contact the doctor through a messaging app, and the doctor would respond with a suggestion based on the severity of the complaint.

A patient might have questions about post-discharge treatment, such as physical therapy. In that case, the patient could hold a video chat with a physiotherapist to review how to perform a specific exercise. After each interaction, the patient would receive an SMS prompt to log into the patient portal and complete a survey.