Streamlining Automated Communication with Conversation Steps

Goals

  • Automate patient communication across the full care journey, from initial appointment to surgery and aftercare.

  • Simplify provider-side setup of communication flows to save time and reduce manual effort.

  • Improve patient adherence to care instructions by delivering timely, clear, and proactive messaging.

  • Reduce hospital readmissions and revisits through better-managed patient expectations and follow-up.

  • Enhance health outcomes by creating a seamless, supportive patient experience.

Research

Discovery Methods:

  • Provider interviews revealed that manually creating separate flows for each stage of the care journey was time-consuming, frustrating, and prone to error.

  • Workflow observations in Pendo showed inconsistencies in how communications were set up, often resulting in gaps or redundant information.

  • Patient surveys indicated confusion about pre-procedure instructions and aftercare expectations, especially for procedures like endoscopies or surgeries.

  • Competitive analysis of other healthcare communication platforms exposed opportunities to introduce more scalable, consolidated conversation management.

Key Insights:

  • Providers needed a simplified, unified way to create and manage communications for complex care journeys.

  • Time-specific triggers (e.g., 30 days, 1 day before a procedure) were critical but difficult to manage with separate conversation flows.

  • Patients needed consistent, timely communication to feel prepared and supported throughout their care journey.

Design

Solution:
We designed and implemented a new model using Conversation Steps — a feature that allows providers to manage multiple communication touchpoints within a single, consolidated conversation flow.

Key Features:

  • Conversation Steps Interface: Providers can build one flow, adding steps triggered by specific time intervals (e.g., 60, 30, 14, and 1 day before a procedure; 1 and 3 days after discharge).

  • Custom Trigger Timing: Each step can be configured to send messages based on customizable patient journey events.

  • Consolidated Management: No need to create and manage multiple separate conversation trees for each patient stage.

  • Pre-Built Templates: Steps include customizable templates for common messaging needs like pre-appointment instructions, driving directions, post-surgery follow-ups, and health status checks.

  • Real-Time Patient Progress Tracking: Providers can view where a patient is within a conversation flow, improving oversight and responsiveness if manual intervention is needed.

Example:
For an endoscopy patient:

  • 60 days before: General appointment reminder and instructions.

  • 30 days before: Pre-procedure dietary restrictions and checklist.

  • 14 days before: Insurance and logistics reminders.

  • 1 day before: Final preparation checklist and expectations.

  • 1 day after: Initial health status check.

  • 3 days after: Post-procedure follow-up and test result communication.

Challenges

  • Balancing Simplicity and Flexibility:
    Providers needed a streamlined tool, but clinical use cases demanded flexibility for complex journeys. We iterated heavily to balance ease of use with the ability to customize timing, message types, and escalation points.

  • Avoiding Information Overload:
    With multiple steps consolidated into one flow, we had to ensure providers could easily navigate and edit steps without feeling overwhelmed. We solved this by introducing collapsible step sections and clear timeline visualization.

  • Maintaining Patient Safety:
    Automated communication introduced a risk: what if a patient's response indicated a clinical issue that needed urgent attention? We addressed this by integrating smart escalation triggers that alert providers based on patient responses.

  • Change Management for Providers:
    Some providers were hesitant to adopt a new flow-building method. We implemented detailed onboarding, templates, and in-app guidance to reduce friction and accelerate adoption.

Outcomes

  • 29% reduction in readmissions and revisits by ensuring patients received timely, clear, actionable instructions and follow-ups.

  • Significant time savings for providers, reducing the need to manage multiple fragmented conversations and cutting down the number of messages that required manual responses.

  • Improved patient health outcomes: Better adherence to instructions led to smoother recoveries and fewer complications.

  • Higher provider satisfaction: Providers reported feeling more confident in their ability to manage patient communication at scale, with less administrative burden.

  • Faster onboarding and setup: New providers could now create a full patient journey flow in a fraction of the time previously required.

What I Learned

This project taught me the importance of designing for scalability without sacrificing usability. While automation can solve operational challenges, it must still feel personal, flexible, and safe — especially in sensitive industries like healthcare. By deeply understanding provider workflows and patient emotional needs, we were able to craft a system that balanced complexity behind the scenes with simplicity on the surface. I also learned that supporting users through change management — not just designing the tool, but helping them adopt it — is critical to success for transformative UX solutions.