Patient communications firm Artera has expanded its support for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), including Bedford-Stuyvesant Family Health Center in Brooklyn and Moses Lake Community Health Center in Washington.

The expanded support means these FQHCs can now tap into Artera's patient communications platform.

That platform, tailored for FQHCs, supports more than 109 languages, offers automation, and leverages EHR data for effective community outreach. It enables patients to contact their healthcare providers through their preferred channels, including text.

The offering intelligently routes messages to the appropriate department, helping facilitate communication for appointments, medications, billing, instructions and lab results.

The aim is to enhance access to care, reduce no-shows, and provide quick information while easing the burden on clinical staff.

A call-to-text feature switches callers to text messaging, helping to manage call volume and minimize abandoned calls. Customizable conversation templates automate common patient communication workflows, such as patient satisfaction surveys and no-show follow-ups.

The platform also offers an accessible digital patient engagement solution through SMS/texting, a feature requiring no app download, internet access or password. A community outreach feature allows organizations to schedule care for patients yet to be in the EHR.

"Our work with the FQHC community helps support health equity as patient communication is a key component of patient access," Guillaume de Zwirek, CEO and founder of Artera, told MobiHealthNews via email.

"Patient communication is much more than sending a text to get patients to show up to their appointments."

He explained frictionless communication creates a direct line to healthcare teams, on a patients’ terms, in their preferred language and for the whole spectrum of their health.

"This access has helped our providers deliver coats, arrange transportation, and even support victims of domestic violence," de Zwirek said. "We have immense pride in our 9+ years of dedication to serving FQHCs nationwide."

THE LARGER TREND

In 2023, Artera partnered with Hyro to launch Artera Care Assist, an AI-powered virtual assistant for healthcare providers’ websites.

It provided secure, multilingual messaging via email, text, phone, or chat and featured conversational AI for automated patient interactions, real-time analytics and a GPT-powered assistant for answering common patient questions.