Cleveland Clinic builds the best place for care anywhere with Twilio

Challenge

Cleveland Clinic needed a flexible, cost-effective solution that could easily integrate with its various use cases and applications. It wanted a versatile all-in-one platform for messaging, SMS, and voice

Solution

Twilio's Messaging and Voice products gave Cleveland Clinic an affordable, scalable way to build a user-friendly communication system that prioritizes patient care and personalized experiences.

Cleveland Clinic is a renowned academic medical center recognized globally for its clinical excellence, educational and research activities, and commitment to patient care. It provides specialty and primary care services in over 300 locations, serving almost 6 million patient visits per year.

Cleveland Clinic is redefining patient communication and care by using powerful communication solutions to personalize interactions, streamline operations, and uphold its vision to be the best place for care anywhere. However, finding a single partner to make it all possible without burdening developers or going over budget proved challenging. 

Finding an affordable, straightforward solution

Cleveland Clinic needed a partner who could enable them to build a flexible communication system, one that wouldn't burden its developers with complex integrations or steep learning curves. It was essential for this system to be user-friendly, ensuring that both healthcare providers and patients could interact with ease and reliability. 

"We needed a system that was straightforward and user-friendly, aligning with our diverse healthcare needs without placing undue burden on our developers," said Ramneek Singh, manager for emerging solutions at Cleveland Clinic.

The clinic also needed a system that was not only cost-effective but also flexible enough to seamlessly integrate with its diverse healthcare applications. The goal was to find a scalable platform capable of handling a wide range of communication needs, including:

• SMS and voice messaging
• Patient identity verification
• Marketing activities such as satisfaction surveys
• Reminders for upcoming appointments.

It also had to align with its commitment to patient care, enhancing communication without compromising the quality of service.

Building enhanced patient care with Twilio

Cleveland Clinic's exploration for a solution brought them to Twilio's door. The flexibility of Twilio's APIs promised easy integration with existing healthcare systems. This decision was further reinforced by Twilio's proven track record in handling sensitive data compliantly as well as its HIPAA-compliant products and services.

With Twilio, Cleveland Clinic developed a comprehensive communication system that encompasses various aspects of patient interaction. They effectively used Twilio's Messaging and Voice products to send out reminders for appointments and lab tests, enhancing patient engagement and reducing no-show rates.

Additionally, they leveraged Twilio for one-time passcodes (OTPs), an important feature for ensuring secure patient access to health data and services. This multifaceted approach allowed Cleveland Clinic to streamline its communication processes, making them more efficient and patient-friendly while following the strict privacy standards required in healthcare.

The implementation of Twilio's technology also enabled Cleveland Clinic to send timely and personalized communications to patients, ranging from appointment reminders to satisfaction surveys and more. This level of interaction was not just about convenience—it represented a deeper commitment to patient-centric care, ensuring that each patient felt attended to and informed (inside and outside the clinics).

Driving better healthcare with technology

The implementation of Twilio at Cleveland Clinic resulted in significant improvements in patient communication and operational efficiency.

• Patient satisfaction: Cleveland Clinic asks customers if they prefer to be communicated with by SMS or Voice. This ensures that timely SMS and voice reminders for appointments or health updates reach patients, resulting in the highest level of satisfaction.
• Scheduling efficiency: The use of Twilio led to a reduction in missed appointments, optimizing the Clinic's scheduling system and improving resource allocation.
• Safety and security: Twilio's reliable and secure HIPAA-compliant messaging system (and the use of OTPs) reinforced patient safety and data security.
• Streamlined identity verification: The integration of OTPs for identity verification simplified patient access to health records while maintaining high-security standards, streamlining the patient experience without compromising safety.

Providing the highest standards of patient care at scale

Cleveland Clinic's journey with Twilio is a testament to the power of technology in transforming healthcare. By embracing innovative solutions, the clinic has streamlined its communication processes with a single provider and enhanced the overall patient experience, moving another step forward to its mission to provide the highest standards of patient care.

And it did it without breaking the budget or burdening developers with complicated solutions or documentation. Cleveland Clinic has effectively scaled its application of Twilio for different departments and use cases, and now it’s set to continue building and innovating.