Healthgrades’ CareChats aims to automate patient-provider communication between visits

Healthgrades

Healthgrades CareChats is the newly announced digital solution that allows patients and providers to communicate between visits.

Created in partnership with Conversa, the new offering enables hospitals and providers to engage and support patients using text and email messaging, in a chatbot-like conversational experience. CareChats initiates conversations with enrolled patients about their condition management, provides encouragement and education, sets health goals and tracks progress.

At launch, CareChats supports chronic condition management, pre- and post-surgery, lifestyle health coaching and personal development. These year-long conversations were created by professional writers and reviewed by physicians to ensure a conversational tone and clinical relevance.

CareChats integrates seamlessly with the Healthgrades CRM platform, and can engage providers automatically when intervention is required. On the other hand, it encourages patients to book an appointment online or call the office directly.

“Communicating with patients between visits really gives providers a glimpse into their lives — about who they are, where they live, and how they live,” Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Healthgrades, said in a statement. “CareChats is a significant step forward in clinical communication that will help better educate, engage, support and motivate patients to achieve better health, using a conversational approach.”

Already, Healthgrades has managed to convince several hospitals and health systems across the country to adopt CareChats, including Ochsner, Penrose St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs, and Citrus Valley Health Partners.

Conversa is also pleased with the partnership, with its co-founder and CEO West Shell III saying that the solution will help many health systems improve the provider – patient relationship. “Utilizing sophisticated logic and intelligent patient profiling technology, Conversa systematically helps organizations monitor, communicate and manage patient populations more efficiently than ever before,” he said.