Phreesia is now an even better example of consumer driven healthcare technology done right

August 14, 2008

I introduced Phreesia on my blog back in December 2005. I was impressed by the company back then because they took a real problem — improving the patient check-in process — and solved it using some deceptively simple technology that would actually be used.

They definitely haven’t rested on their laurels; since then, Phreesia has continued to improve the patient experience. Phreesia remains the Patient Check-in Company but they’re just getting even more deeply embedded within the physician office workflow. The new PhreesiaPad has had a total makeover in its user interface and external design; a new, friendly orange PhreesiaPad now sits in doctors’ offices across the country (see image below). This non-intimidating design helps even the most techno-phobic patients ease into using it for check-in.

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The team at Phreesia is dedicated to creating a functional interface and maintaining patient satisfaction. The data collection ranges from basic identifying information to reason for visit, family medical history, insurance provider and current medications – even adding a comprehensive list of name brand and generic meds built-in to avoid remembering or confusing prescriptions. One of the newer and most innovative controls I’ve seen on the PhreesiaPad was a custom signature capture feature where patients can electronically sign doctor-uploaded HIPAA and other agreement forms, not only does it capture an accurate signature, but also allows one to switch the side of the line depending on whether they’re right- or left-handed. Rest assured that all of the Patient Health Information captured, is secure and safe and since Phreesia is committed to the ideals of HIPAA, docs remain compliant by using the pad. You can view all these features in a demo of the new PhreesiaPad here.

Doctors across the country have clearly seen a need for the PhreesiaPad; the company has grown exponentially since it started. The fact that docs in a number of specialties, not just primary care physicians, get specialty specific and fully modifiable interviews makes it easy for any type of physician to serve their patients. Phreesia draws on the advice of a really comprehensive medical advisory board with a broad range of specialties from some of the top hospitals in the country, which helps the team become completely engrossed in various medical fields including: Neurology, Cardiology, Internal Medicine and Obstetrics among others.

Phreesia recently launched Spanish-language functionality so patients can conduct the interview in Spanish. Chaim, Evan and team are responding to physician offices’ requests by enhancing applications to conduct real-time, patient triggered eligibility and benefits checks and enabling a patient self service co-payment process. Phreesia will integrate with any existing and future technology in your office

With such success so far, Phreesia has also contributed to the ‘greater-good’ by launching clinical initiatives that aid in the prevention and awareness of stroke, medication wear-off in Parkinson’s Disease patients and the early identification of women at risk for postpartum depression. Since I last recommended giving Phreesia a chance, it has grown at a rapid pace and docs in almost every state are reaping the benefits. I still stand behind Phreesia, and if you’re a doctor and haven’t done so already, please take the opportunity to learn more and get this technology into your office. It’s well worth the effort.

  • Dear Pam,

    We are so happy to hear that you were impressed by Phreesia! Thank you for your question. This is a valid concern. Many of the physician practices that use Phreesia sit with illiterate patients and help them fill out the patient interview on the PhreesiaPad. We find that physician offices prefer to complete the patient interview on the PhreesiaPad since they need to help these patients complete the forms regardless of the method used to capture information. Using Phreesia, they are still able to capture the information electronically and retain legible, comprehensive documentation. On a patient's return visit, the interview is much shorter and requires less time for both the patient and the front office staff to complete patient check-in.

    We hope this helps! Please feel free to contact us with additional questions.
  • pam
    I have used the Phreesia pad once and was so impressed by it. I told my husband who works at an ambulatory facility(with raving reviews) about the pad. He noted that in their practice, they sit with the patient and do the inputting of information in their system directly themselves. Patients just sit and answer questions verbally. He raised the point whether illiterate people can find the pad useful. It made me think about that. How do you address this concern?
  • Hi James, Phreesia has never and will never sell, rent or trade protected patient health information. We are very committed to supporting HIPAA compliance, and we adhere to the Business Associate Agreement that all practices have signed and implemented.

    I’m unclear as to what you mean by “feeding the internal system,” but Phreesia supports open standards based interoperability and works with standards such as HL7 and CCR. In addition, we have hundreds of practices electronically attaching comprehensive documentation from Phreesia interviews to their patient records.

    Please feel free to contact us with additional questions at 1-888-654-7473. Thanks for your interest!
  • James
    My concern is what is done with the data that is being gathered, and who has ownership of the data?

    And, is the data usable by the office in any way, such as feeding the internal system?
  • Hi Jeff –

    You are completely right and we’re with you in thinking germs are gross. In fact, we’re complete germaphobes , too, that’s why all the PhreesiaPads come with an antimicrobial coating which helps protect against the transfer of germs from user to user. And for those extreme germaphobes, we’ve equipped the PhreesiaPads with a stylus that can be used in lieu of a finger to operate the check-in interview. We’ve been sure to keep the PhreeisaPads safe and easy for patients to use as a replacement for the outdated clipboard in their doctor’s office. So go ahead and tell your doctors to get Phreesia in their offices and thank you for raising such an important point!
  • Interesting, a co-worker and I (both IT Developers in a Healthcare Company) were talking about these devices, and patient check in kiosks the other day.

    I had read about the concept a few weeks ago and was impressed. My co-worker, who has three kids and plenty of waiting room experience, said "wait, a touch screen? can you imagine all the germs being passed back and forth on it?".

    That made me think twice, but shrugged it off as a "germiphobe" reaction.

    But then I talked to my parents about the same thing, asking if they had seen any of these types of kiosks. They actually had, but didn't use them because they were also afraid of all the germs!

    Maybe a disposable pen input device for those that are squeemish?

    Love the concept, tho! I personally would use them if my Dr. had them.
  • Nicole
    I used this device at my primary and couldn't believe how easy and fun it was! Filling out paperwork was my least favorite doctor's office activity and this pad made the process fly by for me. Not to mention it saved me the awful writing cramp I usually get after 3 or 4 (two-sided) pages of forms.
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