With exclusive ad placements, high engagement rates and easy integration with your broader campaigns, MediFind Moments offers a direct path to meaningful results.

A healthcare journey often starts with research. Google receives more than 1 billion health-related questions each day, and many adults go online specifically to look for medical information.

For individuals living with rare or chronic conditions, these searches are more than casual inquiries. They’re high-intent, high-stakes efforts to find answers, specialists and support. These individuals are actively navigating a complex care journey, and they’re searching with purpose.

But the challenge for healthcare organizations is finding a way to engage consumers when they’re actively pursuing healthcare and ready to make decisions. That’s where MediFind stands apart.

The MediFind advantage

MediFind is a leading website where people in the United States can find and book care with recognized experts on their unique conditions. MediFind’s algorithms sift through millions of data points to assign a level of expertise (elite, distinguished, advanced and experienced) in specific conditions to each of the 2M+ physicians in the database. MediFind classifies expertise with specific conditions based on these data categories:

  • Research
  • Volume of patients
  • Peer standing
  • Connectedness to other experts

MediFind has approximately 2 million monthly visitors and advanced, data-driven algorithms that help users find top doctors across more than 3,500 conditions. Through its MediFind Moments offering—a contextually relevant, privacy-compliant media solution—healthcare organizations can deliver display media on select condition pages, treatment pages and provider profiles to an action-ready audience.

By placing banner ads in high-intent environments, MediFind Moments enables every type of healthcare organization to reach individuals not just broadly, but meaningfully. Here’s what sets MediFind apart:

  • Exclusivity: Secure 100% share of voice on the condition and doctor profile pages most relevant to your brand—no competing ads.
  • Lower-funnel impact: One in three users go on to see a doctor within 30 days.
  • Performance: Privacy-compliant, brand-safe placements with 75%+ viewability and click-through rates higher than the industry average.

Once a brand or organization secures a condition, treatment or doctor profile page, no other advertisers can appear there. It’s a first-come, first-served opportunity to own the moment consumers are ready to act.

Real-world success: How the Prevent Cancer Foundation leveraged MediFind Moments to support cancer screenings

One powerful example of MediFind Moments in action comes from the Prevent Cancer Foundation. In 2024, the Prevent Cancer Foundation used MediFind Moments to increase awareness of routine cancer screenings among consumers searching for care. They wanted to reach individuals who were searching for specialty doctors or preventive care. To reach these types of consumers, the Prevent Cancer Foundation ran banners on the following types of pages:

  • Specialty doctor search pages, such as dermatology, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, primary care, and radiology
  • Condition doctor search pages, such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer and basal cell skin cancer
  • Healthcare provider profile pages, such as doctors with experience screening or treating cancer conditions

“We were very interested in sharing our ‘Early Detection=Better Outcomes’ messaging, which is all about routine cancer screenings,” explains Diane Tilton, Senior Director of Education Marketing at Prevent Cancer Foundation. “We wanted our banner ads to drive people to our website, where they can determine what cancer screenings they need based on their age.”

The Prevent Cancer Foundation’s campaign saw incredible success in its first three months:

  • 3.7 million impressions generated across pages
  • 95% of traffic driven via organic search by a high-intent audience
  • 125% higher click-through rate from healthcare provider profiles than benchmark

“We also found that visitors who came to our website through the banner ad spent more time on the page compared to visitors from other campaigns,” Tilton says.

How organizations can use MediFind Moments

Reaching consumers when they are actively searching for care creates opportunities for every kind of healthcare organization.

  • Pharmaceutical manufacturers can use MediFind Moments to educate consumers about available therapies, raise awareness around specific disease states and support treatment decision making.
  • Nonprofits benefit by increasing visibility for patient resources, support services and educational content, especially for hard-to-reach conditions.
  • Advocacy groups can connect with underserved or marginalized communities, delivering timely, relevant information when consumers are actively seeking support.
  • Government agencies can drive engagement with public health initiatives, such as screening programs, vaccination campaigns or chronic disease education.
  • Healthcare marketing agencies can deliver greater value to clients by integrating MediFind Moments into patient-centric campaigns with exclusive placements.

You don’t need more impressions—you need the right ones. MediFind connects you to the consumers who are actively researching care, making decisions and looking for support. With exclusive ad placements, high engagement rates and easy integration with your broader campaigns, MediFind Moments offers a direct path to meaningful results.

Want to claim your condition or doctor profile pages? Let’s talk how to get started.

Over the years, Phreesia has supported several large-scale population health campaigns to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable health risks.

A healthier America starts with addressing the everyday factors that drive better outcomes—managing chronic conditions, increasing preventive health measures, encouraging timely screenings, supporting better nutrition, promoting healthy lifestyles and exercise, managing stress and more. Yet across these areas, significant gaps remain. Understanding and adoption of healthy behaviors can be confusing. Screenings are often delayed. Many chronic conditions go undiagnosed or untreated. Almost 19 million Americans live in food deserts. An alarming number of adults report feeling stressed or anxious.  

Underlying many of these persistent gaps is a deeper issue: Too many Americans don’t have the information, tools or support they need to feel empowered to take back control of their health. Bridging these gaps starts with better communication and education, especially at the moments when people are most ready to listen and act.

Education drives action

Closing these persistent health gaps starts with timely, personalized education delivered in the right context. When patients receive educational health content in the moments before, during or after a healthcare appointment, they’re more likely to engage, ask questions and take the next step in their care journey. That’s because the point of care is a uniquely influential moment: Patients are already in a health-focused mindset, so specific, relevant messaging shapes attitudes about how people take care of themselves, supports doctor-patient conversations and drives action. Providing health education materials at these critical moments can help people better manage chronic conditions, reduce risks and improve their overall health and wellbeing.

“To improve public health outcomes at scale, organizations must meet people where they are—and there’s no better moment than when they’re already thinking about their health,” says Kelsey Pratt, Director of Market Development at Phreesia. “Digital point-of-care education is one of the most effective, underutilized tools to drive behavior change.”

For more than 20 years, we’ve been driving innovation in healthcare, including pioneering the personalized point-of-care model. While others relied on static wallboards and waiting room TVs—channels that patients often ignore—we’ve leaned into the digital habits of today’s consumer by delivering personally relevant, private content directly to patients’ own devices. We meet them where their attention already is—on their phones. It’s a seamless, familiar experience that drives deeper engagement and delivers more meaningful impact.

How Phreesia empowers individuals to pursue preventive care and other public health goals

Digital health education delivered at the point of care can support a wide range of public health goals—from preventive screenings to chronic disease management and lifestyle changes. Over the years, Phreesia has supported several large-scale population health campaigns to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable health risks.

“From healthy behavior change to chronic disease management, we’ve seen that when organizations invest in personalized, timely health education, people respond—and outcomes improve,” Pratt says.

Together with our partners, we’ve designed and delivered campaigns that not only educate, but also drive measurable change at scale, supporting national health priorities like promoting evidence-based prevention, driving recommended health behaviors, supporting pediatric health, improving outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. Our campaigns help individuals take meaningful steps toward better health. For example:

  • Educating individuals about healthy lifestyles: After seeing a campaign about heart health, 15% of patients surveyed said they learned that eating smart can make your blood vessels and heart work better, and 14% said they learned that even simple exercises like walking can have a big impact on heart health.
  • Supporting cancer screening:
    • Phreesia’s survey data shows that 12% more patients underwent mammogram screening after viewing related content, compared to the control group.
    • Patients 50-80 years old with a history of smoking who had never been screened for lung cancer were 182% more likely to get screened for lung cancer after seeing a campaign.
  • Driving vaccination: A respiratory virus campaign designed to educate eligible patients about respiratory virus vaccines, like those that protect against flu, drove thousands of patients to have conversations about their personal needs for vaccines with their healthcare provider. Third-party conversion analysis showed that nearly 42,000 incremental vaccine administrations were attributable to campaign messaging.
  • Using new technology to support preventive care: Of patients with diabetes surveyed, 42% said they were very likely or extremely likely to talk to their healthcare provider about glucose monitoring with a continuous glucose monitor after seeing a campaign on Phreesia.
  • Getting diagnosed with serious and rare conditions earlier:
    • More than 300 at-risk patients were diagnosed with a rare cardiovascular condition after seeing a campaign about the warning signs and symptoms.
    • A lung cancer screening campaign on PatientConnect drove 581 high-risk patients to pursue screening, and they were ultimately diagnosed with lung cancer, helping avoid more expensive, late-stage care.
  • Adhering to what their doctors prescribe: After viewing content related to rheumatology medications, 80% of rheumatology patients surveyed after a campaign said they are likely to stay on their treatment.

Campaigns on our platform have motivated hundreds of thousands of patients to take action—getting screened for cancer, receiving important vaccinations, starting a new medication or adhering to their treatment plan, quitting smoking, losing weight, or simply having important conversations with their doctor about health risks.

Help drive population-level impact across the nation. Learn how Phreesia can support your healthy behavior goals. Request a demo today.

By embracing AI, we’re making our internal operations smarter and more efficient, helping us stay true to our mission: to make healthcare easier every day.

As the world moves rapidly into the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI), we see an incredible opportunity to rethink how we work, how we serve and how we support care. By embracing generative AI, we’re making our internal operations smarter and more efficient, enabling us to deliver on our mission—to make care easier every day—with even greater impact and innovation.

But with great power comes even greater responsibility, especially in healthcare, where innovation must walk hand-in-hand with sensitivity, trust and a deep respect for the people at the center of it all, patients and providers alike.

How AI is driving smarter, faster internal operations

At Phreesia, one of our core values is “Try it,” meaning we stay curious and keep learning, and we take smart chances, exercise sound judgement and inform our choices with data. This extends to how we leverage AI and continuously foster a culture of innovation.

“We see the growth and innovation within the generative AI space as an opportunity to drive internal operational efficiency to help us realize our mission of making care easier every day,” explains Matt Wills, Manager of Data Science at Phreesia.

Phreesia has long leveraged AI, machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) to help enhance the speed and quality of the audience definition process (read more about our AI applications in action here). Now, we’re looking at expanding on these innovations to develop AI tools that help our team beyond audience definition.

Headshot of Matt Wills
Matt Wills

“We’re looking at how domain-specific generative AI can help our teams at Phreesia,” Wills explains. “Think ChatGPT but tailored to specific tasks or functions within Phreesia. Opportunities exist to support our teams with creating relevant artifacts and information that previously would have required manual or repetitive effort. We’re currently focusing on building ways to distill and synthesize information from a variety of internal tools that power patient audience forecast, as well as analyses related to our Network Solutions campaigns. We’re also interested in internal Data Science operational efficiency use cases, such as auto-generated code and internal documentation.”

We’re also exploring how generative AI technology can help our internal team configure and bring educational content to market even faster and more efficiently. Phreesia programs all third-party content that appears after check in in-house, which allows us to meet strict privacy, security and other content standards. With AI, we can make our work even more efficient.

Empowering people, enhancing care

Healthcare is important and complex, so in our work, we believe that technology should support people, not replace them. That principle drives how we approach AI across our organization. We hope AI can help eliminate the time-consuming tasks that stand between our people and the work that truly matters. Our AI-powered systems are designed to help us make an impact faster.

We’re proud of our ability to engage patients across multiple moments in their healthcare journey—before, during and after a visit. AI enhances this by helping us deliver more timely, relevant and personalized content that empowers patients to take a more active role in their care.

This agility is nothing new for us. Time and again, we’ve adapted quickly to meet the evolving needs across the healthcare landscape. That same mindset fuels our approach to AI—staying on top of the latest trends while remaining grounded in what’s best for our clients and the patients they are reaching.

Our AI strategy is also built on a foundation of trust and responsibility. “While opportunity with AI exists, we also understand the sensitive nature of its role in healthcare,” Wills says. Privacy isn’t optional. It’s essential. That’s why we have embedded ethical data use and strong privacy protections into every AI-powered product and process we develop.

Technology that works—because it’s actually used

While our AI efforts are transforming how we work behind the scenes, the same commitment to purposeful innovation extends to the solutions we offer our clients.

Headshot of Mathew Leff
Mathew Leff

Many teams are using AI for the sake of it—but we don’t innovate for the sake of innovation. Our products are successful because we design with intention and iterate with purpose. “At the center of every innovation, we think ‘Who will use this product?’ and ‘How can it truly serve them?'” says Mathew Leff, Lead Partnerships and Innovation Manager at Phreesia. “Our goal is to create solutions that not only reach the market but make a meaningful impact. By staying focused on real-world application and value to the end user, we ensure our products drive success—and that’s what makes us stand out in the market.”

Phreesia has been a leader in healthcare delivery for 20 years. We have continued to grow our product offering in Phreesia Network Solutions with new innovations such as our post-script engagement solution, appointment readiness and MediFind. These products are driven by Phreesia’s unique market position to meet patients in the right moments with educational content that is relevant. With generative AI, we see the potential to not only strengthen our core offerings but to create entirely new solutions that fill meaningful gaps in care—alleviating work for healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers and other stakeholders.

As we continue to expand and explore the possibilities of AI and advanced technology, one thing remains constant: our commitment to making care easier every day. Whether it’s through smarter internal tools and processes, more agile campaign operations or meaningful patient engagement across the entire care journey, we’re focused on thoughtfully applying innovation to enhance impact where it matters most.

Ready to see what meaningful innovation looks like in action? Request a demo to learn how Phreesia can help your organization reach the right patients at the right time.

Glossary:

Artificial intelligence: A field of computer science that makes machines able to do tasks that normally require human intelligence—like understanding language, recognizing images or making decisions.

Generative artificial intelligence: A type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as text, images, music or code, by learning patterns from existing data.

We sat down with Jordan Osborne, Associate Director of Client Experience at Phreesia, to discuss ways organizations can reach and engage patients at every step of their care journey.

A patient’s healthcare journey begins long before they walk into a doctor’s office—and it doesn’t end when they leave. From searching symptoms at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday night to checking in online for a doctor appointment to picking up (or, in many cases, not picking up) a prescription, every step of the care journey is an opportunity to engage with patients during relevant touchpoints. We sat down with Jordan Osborne, Associate Director of Client Experience at Phreesia, to discuss how to engage patients at the touchpoints that truly matter.

What’s the best way to build an omnichannel media strategy that supports patients at every stage of their healthcare journey?

Jordan Osborne (JO): The key is to look at the entire patient journey—from symptom search to post-appointment follow up—and identify where critical gaps in information and support exist. Patients need support throughout their entire experience. A true omnichannel strategy goes beyond presence; it’s about being purposeful and showing up intentionally with relevant messaging that helps patients make informed decisions and feel more confident at every stage of their journey.

How can digital point-of-care messaging support an omnichannel strategy and enhance patient education before a provider visit?

JO: Digital point-of-care messaging plays a unique role in the omnichannel mix because it reaches patients at a high-impact moment in which action can be taken, right before they talk to their provider. Some point-of-care tactics, like ours, enable teams to meet patients 1:1 on their own devices—where they are already looking, on average, over 100 times a day—to serve private, personalized messages. By delivering relevant, educational content at the point of care, organizations can increase awareness about treatments and conditions, prompt more informed and productive conversations with providers, and support shared decision making at a critical point in the patient’s care journey.

In 2023, Phreesia acquired MediFind, which uses advanced analytics to help patients with serious, chronic and rare diseases find and book the best specialty care. Brands can also display banners alongside high-value doctor profiles that are most important for their brand. How does connecting with patients during the care-booking phase help improve both health outcomes and brand trust before they have confirmed a time with a provider?

JO: This is a moment when the patient is actively evaluating their care options. They’re not just looking for any doctor—they’re looking for the right doctor. By placing your organization’s messaging next to these high-intent doctor profiles, you’re not just promoting a product or service, you’re aligning your brand or organization with the care decision itself. Your message shows exactly when and where decisions are being made, building trust before a script is ever written.

Clients you work with are also now using a post-script engagement solution, which provides patients with resources to help them adhere to their medication as soon as their prescription is written. With 1 in 3 patients never filling prescriptions and 50% not taking chronic medications as directed, what are key moments when patients are most at risk of falling off their treatment plan?

JO: The biggest drop offs tend to happen right after being prescribed a new, more complicated treatment regimen, at the pharmacy when facing high costs or confusion, or a few weeks into treatment when side effects or doubts kick in. Too often, once a prescription is written, patients are left without clear resources to guide them through what’s next—navigating affordability, managing side effects or knowing how to talk to their doctor—leaving them unsure and unsupported at the exact moment they need reassurance and clarity.

Given how common non-adherence is, especially in patients with chronic conditions, how can personalized messaging help patients stay on track with complex treatment plans?

JO: An educational resource that speaks to that patient’s condition or barriers—like tips for managing potential side effects or help navigating costs—can be the difference between starting treatment and stopping or not following the plan made with a provider. It shows you understand what they’re going through and gives practical support to overcome barriers, which builds trust and improves outcomes.

At Phreesia, we’re committed to making care easier every day and giving patients the tools they need to take an active role in their health. What drives you in helping organizations deliver meaningful messaging that helps achieve these goals and improves outcomes?

JO: What motivates me personally is that everything Phreesia does is rooted in improving patient outcomes by focusing on patient activation. In other words, we’re helping patients become more engaged by building their confidence to manage their own healthcare decisions and take an active role in their journey. The healthcare system can be incredibly complex and often intimidating or overwhelming for patients. By providing content that boosts health literacy, we’re inspiring real behavioral change and driving meaningful outcomes. Our data backs it up. We’ve helped drive more than 5,300 breast cancer tests and screenings in the last year, our campaigns have helped close the gaps in recommended vaccine schedules, and we’ve helped countless patients identify care routines that work for their needs. These are just a few examples. We consistently see that the right message, delivered at the right time, leads to meaningful action—whether it’s filling a prescription, starting a conversation with a provider or sticking to a treatment plan.

Ready to meet patients at the touchpoints that matter? Request a demo with one of our patient engagement experts to learn how Phreesia can help engage millions of patients with your organization.

By leveraging the point of care, organizations can deliver empathy-driven education about seemingly embarrassing health concerns at the moments that matter most.

Mary is a 57-year-old mother of two children. When she was 51 years old, she entered menopause, experiencing symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings and thinning hair. Now that she’s postmenopausal, she’s struggling with a new symptom: bladder leaks, otherwise known as urinary incontinence. Hot flashes and night sweats seemed like normal, common side effects of menopause, but Mary is embarrassed to bring up this latest symptom with her provider. “Is this normal?” Mary wonders.

Mary has a doctor’s appointment in a few days. She knows she should discuss this symptom with her doctor, but she feels uncomfortable bringing it up. After checking in online for her appointment, she opts in to receive educational health content, where she sees this headline: “Confidence starts with a conversation. Talk to your healthcare provider about urinary incontinence.”

Kismet? Maybe, or maybe it’s data.

Because Mary is postmenopausal, she is matched to a campaign designed for conditions that regularly affect her population—in this case, information about urinary incontinence. Research shows that urinary incontinence affects more than 50% of postmenopausal women, meaning Mary is not alone in these symptoms, even if she feels like she is.

Seeing the headline “Confidence starts with a conversation” prompted Mary to read deeper, where she learned that nearly 80 million women in the U.S. also experience urinary incontinence. Mary requested to receive a Discussion Guide from the National Association for Continence (NAFC), which gave her helpful tips for starting a conversation about her symptoms with her healthcare provider at her upcoming appointment. She no longer feels like an awkward conversation is awaiting her. Instead, she’s empowered with information and a trustworthy advocacy group that works on an issue that impacts her.

Although Mary is a fictional character, the campaign about urinary incontinence and the NAFC is not. In 2024, the NAFC, in partnership with Health.Equity.Outcomes and Phreesia, launched a campaign about urinary incontinence on Phreesia’s platform, designed to raise awareness of urinary incontinence and encourage more doctor-patient conversations.


Health concerns don’t always fit into polite conversation, even if they are common issues like urinary incontinence or overactive bladder, sexual health problems, digestive health issues, or hygiene. Many people with these conditions suffer in silence, too embarrassed to bring them up with their healthcare providers out of fear of the stigma attached to them. Unfortunately, this stigma can prevent individuals from seeking the care and solutions they need and leave them feeling isolated in their experiences.

While patients may worry about embarrassment, doctors aren’t concerned with polite conversation—only with helping their patients. No health topic is too taboo in a doctor-patient discussion.

Education plays an important role in destigmatizing these conditions and symptoms for patients. When someone faces an embarrassing health issue, such as urinary incontinence or constipation, it can be easy to feel like they are the only one dealing with it. The reality is that these conditions are far more common than people realize.

The point of care offers a prime opportunity to meet patients when they are cognitively and emotionally in a healthcare state of mind. Healthcare leaders like life sciences companies, government organizations and advocacy groups can provide trusted, discreet and accessible information to ensure that patients feel seen, supported and empowered to seek the care they deserve. By addressing these so-called “taboo” topics head on, organizations can help eliminate the stigma.

Spark patient conversations with intentional messaging

Breaking the silence around embarrassing health conditions requires more than just information—it requires strategic design rooted in behavioral science and an empathetic approach that acknowledges patients may feel uncomfortable discussing some topics with their doctor. Life sciences companies, government organizations and advocacy groups have a unique opportunity to shift mindsets by designing educational campaigns with purposefully designed messaging, cues and content. When visual and verbal elements are built around proven behavioral insights, they don’t just inform—they inspire meaningful doctor-patient conversations.

The point of care is an ideal opportunity to reach patients just before they see their provider. By leveraging this space, organizations can meet patients where they are, ensuring they receive relevant education when they are most likely to act on it. Here’s how to provide empathy-driven messaging that sparks a conversation.

  1. Prioritize education first, brand second. Disease state education is often more engaging than treatment-focused information. Patients are more likely to engage with content they find relevant and helpful to their health and wellbeing. Phreesia research indicates patients consider information about a specific disease or illness more relevant and helpful to them than an ad for a prescription or over-the-counter medication.1 By prioritizing educational content over direct product or treatment promotion, organizations can deliver more relevant experiences to patients and build trust over time.
  2. Ensure patients know what “normal” looks like. Many people may be suffering and not even know they’re dealing with something treatable—or something that indicates a more serious issue that needs treatment.
  3. Include conversation starters that make it easier for patients to ask questions. Providing suggested conversation prompts or Discussion Guides can make it easier for patients to start the discussion and give them the confidence to voice their concerns.
  4. Provide quantitative social proof. One of the most effective ways to break down stigma is to normalize common health conditions. Erectile dysfunction, for example, affects as many as 30 million men and is one of the most common sexual health-related conditions that men face. However, Phreesia research indicates that nearly 1 in 3 men with a primary care provider do not feel comfortable discussing sexual health concerns with their doctor.2

    Similarly, conditions like urinary incontinence, hemorrhoids, erectile dysfunction, constipation and other changes in bowel movements, among many other conditions, impact millions of individuals in the United States, but embarrassment often prevents them from seeking help. By highlighting how common these conditions are, organizations can help patients feel less isolated.
  5. Humanize conditions through patient testimonials. Hearing from a real person going through the same issue can be powerful for someone stuck in a shame cycle. Using video, imagery, quotes and other narrative elements from peers helps put a face on the personal wins a patient might get if they speak up for themselves.

By leveraging the point of care, life sciences companies, government organizations and advocacy groups can deliver empathy-driven education at the moments it matters most.

Turn uncomfortable topics into confident conversations. Learn how Phreesia can help you empower patients in the moments that matter most and encourage more informed doctor-patient conversations.

1 PatientInsights: DPE Patient Testimonials 2024, June 2024.

2 Men’s Health Patient Insights 2023, March 2023.

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Phreesia partnered to deliver educational content about colorectal cancer screenings and encourage people to take proactive steps toward early detection.

Many people don’t realize that colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the United States. However, it’s also one of the most preventable with proper screening and education. In 2018, the American Cancer Society lowered the recommended screening age to 45, and in 2021, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) followed suit. Despite these updates, many adults remain unaware of the risk factors and prevalence of colorectal cancer. Because the disease often develops silently, without symptoms in its early stages, and many people avoid screenings due to fear, discomfort or misinformation, the disease too often goes undetected until it’s more advanced.

In 2024, Phreesia and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance partnered to deliver a campaign designed to educate patients about colorectal cancer, the risk factors of the disease and the importance of early detection through screenings. Nearly 1 in 4 patients surveyed after seeing the campaign reported that the information they saw was new to them.

“This campaign is a valuable educational moment because it alerts patients to the importance of colorectal cancer screenings when they’re going into an environment where their health is at the top of their mind,” says Kimberly McNeil, Prevention Project Director at Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

Challenges in screening awareness and adoption

Despite clear evidence that colorectal cancer screenings save lives, many adults delay or avoid getting screened. Understanding the barriers patients face is the key to addressing them effectively. Here are some of the most common obstacles:

  1. Lack of awareness or understanding about the importance of screenings. Many adults simply don’t know that colorectal cancer can be prevented or detected early through regular screenings. Some patients assume screenings are only necessary if they have symptoms, while others are unaware of the updated guidelines lowering the recommended age from 50 to 45. Without proper reminders, these individuals may not see screenings as a priority, putting them at increased risk for late-stage cancer diagnosis.
  2. Fear or discomfort with the screening process. A colonoscopy—the most well-known colorectal cancer screening—can be intimidating. Many people worry about the preparation process, potential discomfort or sedation, while others may feel embarrassed about the procedure itself or potential stigma surrounding it.

    “The colonoscopy is the gold standard because the provider can see everything within the colon,” McNeil says. “However, there are FDA-approved, non-invasive screening options, like the FIT stool test or Cologuard® test. Any test is better than no test at all. It’s just important to be screened.”
  3. Limited support system. A lack of support or transportation can make it hard for people to get screened. Without a ride or someone to help with scheduling or prep, many people may skip appointments, risking late detection and worse health outcomes.
  4. Misconceptions about symptoms or risk factors. A common myth is that colorectal cancer only affects older adults or those with a family history of the disease. In reality, the rate of colorectal cancer is rising among younger adults, and most cases occur in people without a family history. “Colorectal cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer-related deaths among men under the age of 50 and the No. 2 cause among women under the age of 50,” McNeil says. “The incidence rate of colorectal cancer in young Americans is rising at an alarming rate.”

    Another dangerous misconception is that if someone feels healthy or has no digestive symptoms, they don’t need screening. However, colorectal cancer can develop silently, without noticeable symptoms in its early stages, McNeil says. Educating patients about risk factors and possible symptoms and reminding them that screenings can be preventive—not just diagnostic—is important in overcoming this barrier.

Turning awareness into action with education at the point of care

To effectively promote more screenings, it’s important to meet patients at the right time. Delivering educational messaging about colorectal cancer and the importance of screenings at the point of care—when patients are in a setting already focused on their health—can increase awareness and overcome barriers to action.

“Colorectal cancer is a major public health issue, yet too many people miss life-saving screenings due to fear, discomfort, a lack of awareness or misinformation,” says Kelsey Pratt, Director of Market Development at Phreesia. “Research shows that people trust information from their provider’s office, and when education is delivered just before an appointment, it opens the door for critical conversations about risk factors and screening options.”

In March 2024, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Phreesia launched a campaign—“No Ifs, Ands, or Buts”—for patients 45 years and older. The goals were simple: Promote patient awareness of colorectal cancer screening options and support timely screenings, diagnosis and intervention.

As of January 2025, more than 220,000 colorectal cancer awareness engagements have been delivered to qualified patients. Phreesia collected primary quantitative insights through exposed and control groups to determine the campaign’s directional effect on awareness, intent, perception and behavior among patients.

Of the 1,917 patients surveyed:

  • Nearly 1 in 4 patients (23%) report that the information they saw was new to them.
  • Those exposed to the content are 10% more likely than control patients to say they are very likely to discuss colorectal screening with their doctor.
  • One in three exposed patients (34%) say they are very likely to search for information about screenings, 20% higher than the control patients.
  • Nearly 1 in 4 patients found the most motivating message about colorectal cancer screening to be that regular screenings are the best way to detect the disease early.

The numbers speak for themselves: Providing education at the point of care turns awareness into action. Through this campaign, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and Phreesia were able to educate and empower more people to prioritize their health and take proactive steps toward early detection. To learn more about colorectal cancer risk factors and screening options visit getscreened.org.

Learn how Phreesia can help you drive awareness about health conditions and activate patients when they’re in a healthcare state of mind.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, but more than half of Americans do not realize it. Addressing this knowledge gap with relevant education is essential to saving lives.

Every 33 seconds, someone in the United States dies from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite being the leading cause of death for both men and women, many Americans remain unaware of the prevalence or the risk factors that put them in danger. From heart attacks to strokes, CVD encompasses a range of life-threatening conditions that continue to claim lives at an alarming rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

In November 2024, Phreesia surveyed more than 1,000 patients who had seen a campaign about heart health. Of those surveyed, 30% did not know heart disease is the No. 1 health threat in the United States before seeing the campaign. Another 29% said the campaign was what taught them that high blood sugar can damage blood vessels, and 18% said the campaign was how they learned that conditions like high cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar are linked to cardiovascular disease.1  

CVD poses a greater risk to some Americans 

Research shows that rural populations, older Americans and some other groups bear a disproportionate burden of CVD, as well as other chronic conditions associated with CVD. For example, Phreesia research suggests that patients living in rural areas are more likely to have been diagnosed with high blood pressure compared to patients living in urban areas. Adults living in rural areas also have higher rates of type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol compared to adults living in urban areas.2 Without proper management, chronic diseases can accelerate the progression of heart disease and increase the likelihood of serious complications, including heart attacks and strokes. Limited access to healthcare facilities, fewer specialists, longer travel distances for medical care and higher rates of poverty all contribute to the potential for worse outcomes.  

Similarly, older adults are also at a higher risk of CVD, as aging increases the likelihood of conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. More than 70% of adults develop CVD by the age of 70. Many older adults also face challenges in managing their health due to mobility issues, limited access to transportation and difficulties understanding complex medical information. 

Addressing these differences requires targeted education efforts that provide clear, actionable health information and emphasize the importance of early intervention and lifestyle modifications.  

Think outside the box to activate and educate patients 

Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, many Americans remain unaware of its risk factors, the behaviors that increase their risk, and the impact of conditions like high cholesterol and high blood pressure on overall health and comorbidities. This highlights the need for greater education on the topic. However, educational health content isn’t one-size-fits-all. What is relevant and effective for one audience might not impact another.  

To reach and activate different patient groups with educational health content, organizations must think outside the box. Here’s how. 

  1. Choose the right channel. If a message isn’t delivered in the right context, it won’t have the desired impact. An online advertisement, for instance, may not reach the intended audience in a way that drives behavioral change. In fact, our research shows that 40% of rural patients have trouble determining if the information they find online is reliable, compared with 37% of urban patients and 32% of suburban patients.3  
     
    That’s why it is important to deliver educational health information in a trusted setting, such as the point of care. Research shows that patients trust the medication information they see at the point of care significantly more than the content they see in print, on social media, on the internet or on television. Delivering personalized, tailored content directly to patients in a setting where they can discuss it with a healthcare professional and take immediate action can have a significant impact. 
  1. Focus on empowering individual choice. Educational content should actively encourage behavior change. Messaging should connect specific behaviors—such as diet, physical activity and medication adherence—to their direct impact on heart health. Providing simple, actionable steps can motivate lasting change. 
     
    For example, in March 2024, Phreesia launched a campaign centered on educating patients about different actions they could take to improve their heart health, like quitting smoking, lowering blood sugar and cholesterol, managing their blood pressure, and staying active. Of the patients exposed to the campaign, nearly 1 in 4 surveyed said the messages from the content that motivated them the most to learn more about heart disease were the fact that heart disease risk can be lowered through lifestyle changes and that common heart conditions can exacerbate heart problems like heart attack or stroke.4  
     
    ​Compared to a control group, more individuals who saw the content were generally activated to learn about heart disease and intended to discuss heart disease risks and prevention with their provider at their upcoming appointment compared to those who did not. More than 8 in 10 patients reported that the information from the campaign was very helpful to them.5 As of February 2025, the campaign is still live on platform, helping raise awareness and motivate behavioral change. 
  1. Ensure accessibility and clarity. Health information should be easy to understand and available in multiple formats—such as written, audio and video materials—to accommodate different learning preferences and levels of accessibility. Additionally, simplifying complex medical concepts and writing in plain language (i.e. skipping the medical jargon) can help empower patients to take control of their health. Creating content or educational materials in the intended audience’s preferred language can also break down barriers to care and improve health outcomes. 

More than half of Americans do not know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country. Addressing this knowledge gap with education and actionable tips is essential to saving lives. 

Learn how Phreesia can help you reach and activate patients by delivering relevant health content that addresses their unique needs.  

1 Phreesia heart health awareness 2024 impact analysis results: March-November 2024 [n=1,181]. 
2 Phreesia industry perspective: Digital rural health divide: December 2021-January 2022.  
3 Ibid. 
4 Phreesia heart health awareness 2024 impact analysis results: March-November 2024 [n=2,422]. 
5 Ibid. 

The intake process is evolving. Collecting relevant patient information before the appointment gives doctors more time to spend with patients—and allows patients to be more active in their care.

At Phreesia, our mission is to make care easier every day. We do this through automated tools for intake, payments, access and more, and we’re constantly looking for ways to evolve. This year, we’re helping our providers improve their intake process from an end-user perspective. Instead of long, cumbersome questionnaires that patients quit before they even start, we’re breaking the process into shorter workflows and more relevant questionnaires. Delivered in the right sequence leading into appointments, this ensures patients complete the process and make it to your educational content at the end when they are ready to learn. Read on to learn about the trends and projections related to the evolving intake process.  

The burden on healthcare providers and their staff has increased significantly in recent years, driven by a combination of administrative, clinical and regulatory requirements that strain their time, energy and capacity to deliver high-quality patient care. For example, one study estimated that primary care physicians would require 27 hours per day for preventive care, chronic disease care, acute care, and documentation and inbox management (or any of the work the office staff does). That doesn’t include addressing health-related social needs and social determinants of health or holistic care that may impact the patient, like mental and emotional health. 

Streamlining processes is crucial to alleviating the burden on healthcare providers. One way to do this is through digital patient intake. Digital patient intake refers to the process that healthcare providers use to gather information from new and returning patients before their visit and share information that pertains to their upcoming appointment. With such limited time, it’s helpful for doctors and patients to have all the necessary information at hand before appointments.  

The problem? Trying to put everything necessary in one long questionnaire can become cumbersome and negatively impact patient engagement and completion.   

An evolution, not a revolution 

When Phreesia was founded 20 years ago, the patient intake process was still largely done with pen and paper while the patient sat in the waiting room, and we are proud of the massive improvements our digital intake tools have offered providers and patients alike. We work day in and day out to help providers refine these workflows, removing unnecessary questions, not repeating questions in unnecessary places, and writing question-and-answer options in ways backed by research and best practices.  

Looking at the data on our platform and in the broader digital ecosystem, it’s clear that stronger engagement comes from workflows that are fast, easier to understand, and cover things that patients feel are relevant to them. Sometimes that means removing questions, rephrasing questions, using a different answer interface or posing information at different times right before appointments. Consider our recommended question format for race, ethnicity and language data: By providing a drop-down menu that includes over 900 potential answers (informed by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) and shortening the list of potential answers as a patient begins to type, providers can make intake more inclusive, accurate and quick to complete.  

Streamlined intake ensures patients complete the process  

So, why should sponsors of PatientConnect campaigns care about how the patient intake is evolving? Digital intake only works when used properly, and if patients have slogged through a challenging, long intake, they have less cognitive capacity to absorb the educational content delivered at the end. Breaking up intake into impactful pieces, redesigning how traditional questions are asked, and getting even more granular about the moments just before an appointment helps everything get done digitally ahead of appointments.  

“Phreesia’s mission is to make care easier every day. Figuring out how to collect and deliver all the most important, relevant information before an appointment in an ‘easy’ way for the end user is actually not easy at all,” says Alex Beneville, VP of Marketing and Content, Phreesia Network Solutions. “The less cognitive fatigue a patient experiences during intake, the more likely they are to complete everything and the more engaging and effective the information they get just before an appointment can be.” 

Personalized preparation during the pre-appointment intake process connects patients with the information they need before they see their doctor. It also gives doctors more time during the visit to focus on impactful conversations with patients, which then generate meaningful behavioral change. Talk about a win-win-win.  

Learn how Phreesia can help you reach patients with relevant health information to engage them at critical moments in their healthcare journey and empower them to play a more involved role in their health. 

Digital point-of-care messaging can help normalize conversations about postpartum mental health and guide parents toward the help they need.

Call 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) for 24/7 free confidential support for pregnant and new moms. If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or text TALK to 741741. 

Postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety are faced by thousands of mothers each year, but sometimes they feel unable to discuss it openly due to uncertainty, stigma and shame. However, conversations around these struggles are beginning to break through to broader audiences. For example, in fall 2024, a TikTok video of a mother candidly sharing her postpartum experience gained widespread attention, inspiring thousands of other mothers to share their own stories. These videos shed light on symptoms such as feeling disconnected from one’s newborn, experiencing thoughts of self-harm, irregular sleep patterns and social withdrawal, which helps to normalize these mental health challenges and highlight how they can affect people in different ways. 

These conversations on social media can be incredibly validating, and providing mothers with education and support in parallel at the point of care—such as private, personalized messages about postpartum mental health delivered right before doctor appointments—can make an even greater difference. Many women may not recognize their symptoms as postpartum depression or feel unsure about how to seek help, and education delivered when they are in a healthcare state of mind can help bridge that gap.  

Understanding postpartum depression and anxiety 

For the first few days after childbirth, it can be normal to feel a range of emotions. In addition to happiness and love, hormonal changes and sleep deprivation can cause stress and anxiety. Sometimes referred to as the “baby blues,” these feelings may lead to crying for no apparent reason, having trouble eating or sleeping, or doubting one’s ability to care for their baby.  

The baby blues affect between 50% and 85% of new mothers and typically improve within one or two weeks without treatment. Postpartum depression, however, is more than the baby blues—it is a type of depression that “causes intense feelings of sadness, anxiety or despair that keep people from being able to do their daily tasks,” according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Postpartum depression typically starts about one to three weeks after childbirth, and research from the CDC shows about 1 in 8 women who recently gave birth reported symptoms of postpartum depression. 

Similarly, postpartum anxiety is a mental health condition that causes excessive and/or debilitating worry. Many new parents with postpartum anxiety have trouble sleeping, feel terrified to leave their baby alone for a few minutes with an adult they trust, or feel afraid to leave their house with their newborn.  

Postpartum mental health can be complex. Studies show that up to 50% of postpartum depression cases go undiagnosed—likely because women do not recognize the severity of their symptoms and/or because of the stigma around postpartum mental health. Believing that symptoms of depression and anxiety are just the ‘baby blues’ and a normal part of motherhood—along with the stigma around postpartum depression—can make moms feel like they are failures if they have symptoms. Additionally, cultural and societal expectations of postpartum bliss and perfection can prevent honest discussions about the challenges of new motherhood and can lead many mothers to downplay their symptoms to others, leaving them feeling isolated and preventing them from seeking help. 

“One of the biggest barriers to diagnosing postpartum depression and anxiety is the stigma,” says Dr. Christina Suh, a pediatrician and Director of Clinical Content at Phreesia. “The pressure to ‘have it all together’ leaves little room for the complex emotions that come with this really big life change. This stigma can make it difficult for moms to admit they are struggling even to themselves, let alone to others.”  

The important role of education in maternal mental health 

This stigma and lack of recognition about postpartum depression and anxiety underscores the critical need for proactive education around postpartum mental health. Direct, personalized, digital point-of-care messaging can play a pivotal role in initiating these conversations early—ideally beginning during pregnancy—by providing timely and accessible information to women about what postpartum depression looks like, what their options are, when to seek help and how it is diagnosed.  

Education helps mothers recognize the warning signs, understand what symptoms are normal and what might indicate a need for more support, feel supported during a major life transition and know that help is available to them. Delivering this education through digital point-of-care messaging helps ensure that the door to these conversations is opened early and kept open, empowering mothers to seek the support they need during this stage of life.  

“The point of care is an incredibly effective place to reach mothers and parents with this education because it meets them where they already are,” Dr. Suh says. “Education delivered at the point of care reaches patients when they’re already thinking about their health or their baby’s health and well-being.” 

Digital resources delivered privately to patients at the point of care—such as education about symptoms and what is and isn’t normal, doctor-patient discussion guides and other mental health resources—can empower expecting and new parents to recognize the warning signs of postpartum depression and anxiety early. These resources can also facilitate open and honest conversations between healthcare providers and parents, reducing the stigma around postpartum mental health and promoting supportive dialogue. 

Ultimately, digital point-of-care messaging—delivered directly to patients when they are in a healthcare state of mind—can help normalize conversations about postpartum mental health and help guide parents toward the support and care they need, while ensuring they feel heard and supported during the postpartum period. 

Learn how Phreesia can help deliver messages about mental health and maternal mental health at the point of care. 

Government departments and agencies are making suicide prevention a nationwide focus. Serving private, personalized messages right before doctor appointments can drive important conversations between patients and their providers about mental health.

Are you in a crisis? Help is available. Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or text TALK to 741741.

The United States is facing a mental health crisis, with the National Institute of Mental Health estimating that more than 1 in 5 U.S. adults live with a mental illness. Why? The COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on the mental health of both adults and children. Additionally, the current political and cultural climate has placed further strain on mental well-being, especially as the holiday season approaches—a time that often exacerbates stress, loneliness and emotional distress for many individuals.

Each year, anxiety levels among U.S. adults continue to rise, and recent data suggests about 1 in 5 adolescents report symptoms of anxiety and depression. Perhaps the most sobering statistic is the rate of suicide in the United States. Though suicide rates decreased by 5% between 2018-2020, they returned to their peak in 2022, when more than 49,000 people lost their lives to suicide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

To address this crisis—specifically the increased rate of suicide—a federal Interagency Work Group composed of more than 20 agencies in 10 federal government departments recently released the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (National Strategy), a 10-year, comprehensive approach to suicide prevention at the national, state, tribal, local and territorial levels, along with a Federal Action Plan (Action Plan), which outlines specific measures that federal departments and agencies will implement to meet the goals outlined in the National Strategy.

Making suicide prevention a nationwide effort

Many individuals who have struggled with suicidal ideation or survived an attempt later express interventions from others saved their lives, as the journey through mental health challenges often feels like a roller coaster of ups and downs. Additionally, data from Harvard University suggests that 9 out of 10 people who attempt suicide and survive will not go on to die by suicide later. This research emphasizes the importance of suicide prevention and interventions.

More than 2,000 experts—each of whom represented diverse geographic areas, races and ethnicities, and lived experiences—contributed to the National Strategy and Action Plan, according to Dr. Vivek Murthy, Vice Admiral, U.S. Public Health Service and Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The 2024 National Strategy builds upon a plan first written in 2001 and updated in 2012. It includes 15 goals and 87 objectives organized under four strategic directions:

Strategic direction 1: Community-based suicide prevention

The first strategic direction focuses on developing sustainable, community-based suicide prevention strategies through collaborative partnerships. It also emphasizes integrating suicide prevention into workplace culture and other community settings. Additionally, it calls for research-informed communication strategies that are tailored to diverse communities.

Strategic direction 2: Treatment and crisis services
The second strategic direction centers on implementing effective suicide prevention services as a core component of healthcare and improving the accessibility of crisis care services in all communities.

Strategic direction 3: Surveillance, quality improvement and research
The third strategic direction emphasizes the importance of promoting and supporting research on suicide prevention and improving the quality, timeliness and accessibility of data needed for suicide-related research.

Strategic direction 4: Health equity in suicide prevention
The fourth strategic direction aims to incorporate health equity into all suicide prevention efforts, prioritizing support for populations disproportionately affected by suicide, with a special focus on historically marginalized communities, young people, and individuals with suicide-centered lived experiences, such as those who have had or are currently experiencing thoughts of suicide, who have survived one or more suicide attempts or who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Utilizing personalized, digital messages for mental health and suicide prevention awareness

Primary care providers (PCPs) are typically the first point of contact for patients with mental health concerns. Many PCPs will ask patients if they are feeling anxious or depressed, or if they have had thoughts of suicide, as part of an annual physical or screening. However, a provider can only help if a patient is open and honest about their struggles and symptoms of depression, anxiety or other mental illness.

Reaching patients with personalized messages—right before they see their doctor and when they are in a healthcare state of mind—about the importance of prioritizing their mental health and asking for help can make a significant impact. Phreesia recently collaborated with the Ad Council to bring three public health campaigns about mental health directly to patients and caregivers. Collectively across the campaigns, Phreesia has delivered more than 430,000 messages, spreading awareness about the importance of youth and adult mental health and encouraging more open conversations about mental health. The content included educational information, resources and fact sheets about the importance of mental health and tips for discussing it with their peers, children and healthcare providers.

These campaigns have seen great results, specifically among teenagers and young adults. In a year-long “Seize the Awkward” campaign focused on educating young adults about how to identify when a friend may be struggling, Phreesia delivered more than 255,000 messages to young adults ages 18 to 24 who consented to receive content. Nearly half of the patients surveyed who saw the campaign said they were very likely to search for more information about how to support a friend’s mental health, and 60% said they were now likely to reach out to a friend about their own mental health.

These are significant results, as suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people ages 10-34. Studies show that loneliness and low social support are associated with an increased risk of self-harm and suicidal ideation, and research indicates that social connection and support from partners, friends and family, and healthcare providers can be a protective factor against suicide and self-harm.

In another campaign in partnership with the Ad Council, Phreesia delivered more than 117,000 messages to Black and Hispanic men who consented to receive content about taking care of one’s mental health. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death in Black males, and research indicates that the suicide rate among Black males has increased in recent decades. Suicide rates have also grown significantly among Hispanic populations. The “Love, Your Mind” campaign generated more than 5,600 requests for follow-up resources, and, after viewing the campaign content, 60% of surveyed men said they intended to talk to their doctor about how to manage their mental well-being.

The 2024 National Strategy states that “how we talk and message about suicide and suicide prevention matters” and that “the framing we use has the potential to open a door to dialogue, understanding and support.” Delivering critical mental health information and resources to patients can drive these important conversations between patients and their providers, leading to better outcomes and improved wellbeing.

Learn how Phreesia can help deliver campaigns that promote suicide prevention efforts and mental health awareness.