Healthcare teams are under pressure to expand access, reduce staff burden, and deliver more consumer-friendly experiences. Patient communications platforms sit at the center of that effort. We’re also seeing a broader shift: leaders increasingly connect patients’ digital access and engagement to operational and financial performance, not just satisfaction.
In our latest Patient Communications 2025 report, we look at how well various vendors are enabling meaningful, timely patient interactions.
Points to Know
- Real-time communications like two-way patient texting are now table stakes. Patients expect quick, conversational back-and-forth that cuts no-shows and eases call volume.
- Core platforms are compared to niche solutions. Many teams start with core platform tools, then add targeted solutions when advanced texting or reporting is needed; niche vendors win when they act as true strategic partners.
- Strong communications tools are tied to outcomes like lower no-show rates, quicker outreach, and reduced call volumes that free staff for higher-value tasks.
Read on to dive deeper into each of these themes.
Real-Time Communications Becoming Table Stakes
We’ve known for some time that patients compare healthcare to the best consumer experiences they have elsewhere. Patient engagement leaders at different organizations across the country told us about their investment priorities as we worked on the Patient Engagement 2025 report, and we saw that patient communications was number two on that list.
As we’ve also seen in that research, patients want options like confirming, rescheduling, or sharing a photo via a quick, conversational back-and-forth on their terms. This report’s early look at texting maturity underscores this shift; the data set is limited, but the signal is clear: real-time, bidirectional texting drives engagement, and customers notice when it’s missing.
Core Platforms Versus Niche Solutions
Many organizations look for communication tools from their core platform to simplify operations. But when advanced capabilities like richer two-way texting or other features aren’t there, teams will often augment with targeted solutions. This isn’t a contradiction; it’s a practical blend of efficiency and capability. Even as platforms consolidate, we’re seeing that specialized tools can still succeed. This is especially when these niche vendors show up as strategic partners who help solve day-to-day problems with clients.
About two-thirds of the Epic organizations that we talk to within this communication space are using a third-party solution in some way, shape, or form.
Outcomes That Matter for the Bottom Line
When communications systems work, the wins are tangible: lower no-show rates, quicker outreach, and reduced call volumes that free staff for higher-value tasks. Teams confirm attendance, fill last-minute cancellations from wait lists, and personalize outreach to the right channel and time of day. These aren’t abstract benefits; each one directly impacts their bottom line.
What We’re Watching Next
Two themes loom large. First, we’ll continue to follow patient centricity and consumer-friendly care experiences as CMS actively works to create a patient-centric ecosystem.
The second theme is platform consolidation: ultimately, organizations want fewer vendors and smoother end-to-end experiences. We plan to create a new research segment for patient engagement platforms where patient communications software is required technology. We also plan to publish reports on agentic AI and contact-center models, both of which are factors that are impacting patient communications.
The bottom line? Patient communications solutions have moved from being nice to have to being a critical piece of the broader patient engagement strategy. For a fuller picture and to get each vendor’s scorecard in this space, we recommend reading the full Patient Communications 2025 report.
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