Alternatives to Accurx

Alternatives to Accurx: How To Not Break The Bank

We all know that digital communication tools are vital for practice. GPs need a solution that is integrated with EMIS or SystmOne, and allows them easy access to patient messaging, batch messaging, triage, and self-booking. Accurx have done a great job of fulfilling this need (maybe even creating the market as a whole), however they now also tend to break the bank...plus their product isn't perfect for everyone.

Most “Accurx alternatives” lists tend to be flooded with options that don’t meet these fundamental needs - or are flooded with weird American options that don't even meet the basic EMIS and TPP criteria. We think that if you're looking to replace Accurx, then as a minimum you need functionality for:

• Sending simple SMS or Emails to patients - and saving this back to record. In addition, the messaging functionality should allow for:
  • Including questionnaires in these messages - and ideally the questionnaires can be customised
  • Including attachments in these messages
  • Including self-booking links in these messages
  • Template messages for quick sending of common messages
• Batch messaging by SMS or Email, with the ability to include questionnaire and booking links
• Some level of 'triage' - whether that be full medical device triage like eConsult or simple web-form triage like Accurx's Patient Triage product
• Integrated with EMIS and TPP for coverage of England's main primary care record systems

On this basis, here is our list of the main legitimate alternatives (competitors?) to Accurx:

1. Hero Health
2. Patchs
3. Anima

There are many other tools out there, but most don't yet have the product depth to content across all these dimensions - honourable mentions go to Rapid Health, Klinik, eConsult, AskFirst, AskMyGP and Footfall, who all have strong product offerings in at least part of Accurx's product offering, but not necessarily across all their functionality (generally these are strong in triage, but don't have the breadth of functionality across Appointments and/or Messaging). We probably need to extend this to cover our friends at Engage (who do develop a good product that is a worthy alternative) and iPlato (the pre-Accurx incumbent, now owned by Huma) - but I'll leave those for another day.

So with these solutions in mind, let’s dive into the details to help you choose the best option for your practice.

Top Alternatives to Accurx

Let's establish a baseline by first consider why Accurx is so well loved. The product has received heavy venture capital investment over the last 5 years, and was vital in practices' ability to provide continuity during the pandemic. In particular, the tool's adoption was driven by:

• Simple patient messaging from their green toolbar over the top of EMIS and TPP
• The ability to send 'Floreys' or questionnaires to patients on a scheduled basis
• The ability to send secure attachments from the record to patients
• The ability to have a video call - vital during the early days of COVID

For a long time, the Accurx tool was given free to practices - including funded SMS. This, coupled with relaxed procurement processes during COVID, saw the tool expand rapidly across most of England's GP estate. However in 2022, Accurx introduced aggressive pricing, which has only increased with the subsequent introduction of self-booking and patient triage. It is this commercial reality that is causing many ICBs and practices to look elsewhere.

Additionally, practices themselves have occasionally bemoaned a few Accurx weaknesses, including:

• Limitations around self-booking (e.g., not showing appointments that far into the future)
• Limitations around cross-organisational working

The First Contender: Hero Health: Affordable, Customizable, and Comprehensive

Well you are reading a Hero blog, so what else would you expect? But seriously, we think Hero is your best Accurx alternative, considering the combination of product and price.

Hero compares well with Accurx across the core functionality:

• Simple patient messaging from an EMIS and TPP toolbar (and in the browser)
• Advanced messaging features including customisable questionnaires, customisable templates, attachments, 2-way messaging and self-booking links
• Batch messaging by Email and SMS - including batch sending of self-booking links by email, something Accurx doesn't offer at the time of writing
• Patient triage

Hero in fact differentiates across a number of areas - although both a credit and a criticism of Accurx is that they previously seemed to take some inspiration from our 'self booking links' (btw, we take some inspiration from their messaging - so, fair enough), so these may be inspiring product conversations at Accurx right now:

• Cross organisational self-booking links
• Cross organisational triage, allowing submissions to be shared from hubsite to practice
• Direct online booking

Arguably most critically, as a family owned business (and not backed by venture capital firms), Hero has more flexibility when it comes to price than Accurx, and generally we're around 35% cheaper than Accurx. That makes for a pretty compelling alternative.

Other Options: Fine, But Why Are You Still Reading?

Patchs: AI-Driven with Mixed Integration Feedback

Patchs is another alternative that meets the basic criteria, offering features like messaging, batch messaging, triage, and self-booking. Designed in collaboration with GPs and patients, Patchs uses AI to automate some of the administrative workload. Key selling points are:

• AI-Assisted Triage and Demand Management: Patchs leverages AI to handle triage and demand management, helping GPs focus on urgent cases.
• Popular With Patients: Patients like the simple and intuitive chat submission
• Bulk Messaging and Patient Self-Booking: The platform supports batch messaging, and its self-booking feature gives patients flexibility in managing appointments.
• Price: Patchs is in use in over 600 NHS GP sites, making it the third most common triage system (behind Accurx and eConsult). The primary reason for this is price, with Patchs sometimes being offered for as low as 9p per patient (where the historic average price point was 20-25p and the current price point offered by Accurx is over 70p)

On the downside Patchs has received mixed feedback regarding its integration with EMIS and SystmOne, which could impact workflows and data accessibility. Additionally, some users have found that the AI functionalities are not always intuitive or reliable. Patchs was acquired by Advanced recently, so if you want to see where the product will end up long term, take a look at Docman and Adastra.

Bottom Line: Patchs is a good option for price sensitive practices, though potential integration issues with core systems like EMIS and SystmOne have led to less that overwhelmingly positive feedback. Cheshire ICB procured Patchs in 2023, so you could reach out to practices there for feedback.

Anima: Comprehensive but Expensive

Anima is another company heavily backed by private venture capital investors. It iss known for its comprehensive features and is perhaps most remarkable as it abstracts clinical information out of the clinical record system (or GP Connect) to augment the triage process. Its functionality supports:

• Triage, Appointment Self-Booking, and Messaging: Anima covers these core areas, from initial triage to appointment booking links to patient messaging.
• EMIS and SystmOne Integration: The platform integrates with major systems, although feedback indicates some variability in performance.
• Cross-organisational: Booking links can be cross-organisational as they leverage GP Connect for scheduling
• Broad functionality: Although they come at additional cost, Anima have launched modules for document management and custom workflows

Despite its comprehensive capabilities, there are a few drawbacks we've heard regarding Anima:

• We couldn't actually ascertain whether you could create custom questionnaires in Anima
• Anima’s pricing is notably high - generally exceeding 60p per patient
• From practices we've spoken to, whilst practice staff appreciate the prioritisation of triage submissions, patients find it long-winded and occasionally duplicative to submit triages
• Unlike eConsult and Klinik, it is not registered as a medical device
• Support: We've heard from a number of users that Anima's support seems stretched

Bottom Line: While Anima offers extensive functionality, its high cost may be prohibitive for some practices, especially those prioritizing budget-friendly options.

Conclusion

Well, obviously you should choose Hero. Why look any further? Price is good. Product is good. Come join the party.

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