According to CareMessage, which just announced the first release of a new mobile messaging tool designed with those goals in mind, engaging patients without manual outreach can boost staff efficiency and improve clinical outcomes at safety organizations nationwide.
WHY IT MATTERS
The nonprofit said the integration of its Health Equity Engine patient activation platform is aimed at a key Unified Vital Data System reporting measure for federally qualified Community Centers.
It’s also designed to combat the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. FQHC patients are disproportionately affected by diabetes — with 14% diagnosed, compared to 11.6% of the general population, CareMesage notes. Furthermore, nearly 30% of FQHC patients have uncontrolled diabetes.
Through its Automated Care Journeys functionality, the platform integrates with electronic health records to automatically identify patients with uncontrolled diabetes and enroll them in messaging programs that can schedule visits, schedule appointments, track referrals, provide access to diabetes management or education programs.
The company says 400 safety organizations in 45 states using the platform — FQHCs, Tribal Health Centers and other community health centers — can leverage mobile messaging technology to fill gaps in care for 10 million underserved patients.
Patients can receive messages in over 60 languages through CareMessage’s built-in templates, and outreach messages can also be customized.
THE BIGGER TREND
Dr. Emily C. Webber, chief health information officer at Indiana University Health — and a 2024 HIMSS Changemaker Award winner — said earlier this year that ensuring patient resources via text messaging is one way to ensure health equity for underserved populations.
Despite the need for access, FQHCs and other community health centers can also experience high missed appointments, placing a burden on organizations and causing unnecessary delays in care for patients waiting to be seen.
New York City’s Metropolitan Health Plan turned to artificial intelligence technology to address higher-than-average missed appointment rates and cut the rate of patients who didn’t show up for a three-month appointment. After algorithms analyzed EHR data, UHP used a combination of interventions, including texting patients about same-day virtual rescheduling options, targeted phone calls, and more.
“We took a multi-pronged approach to addressing patient access and engagement overall,” said Alison Connelly-Flores, UHP’s chief health information officer and a board member of the New York eHealth Collaborative. Healthcare IT News last year
ON THE RECORD
“This is a major step forward in technology for FQHCs to improve clinical outcomes for some of their highest-risk patients,” CareMessage Chief Strategy Officer Cecilia Corral said in a statement. “We are excited that CareMessage is the first to bring this product to market and continues our mission to improve health equity for five million low-socioeconomic patients by 2028.”
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.
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