Hero Health vs. Accurx

Hero Health vs. Accurx: Which Platform is Right for Your Practice?

The introduction of Accurx to NHS GPs was a game changer for patient communication. Accurx's green toolbar allowed users of EMIS, and then more recently TPP, to send simple communications to their patients by SMS or Email. The toolbar extracts the selected patient from the clinical record, and so allows for fast communication - but the simple questionnaires (Floreys), 2-way replies and recently the self-booking links, have all been helpful for primary care providers.

So what's the issue? Well for starters, Accurx has annoyed a lot of commissioners and now practices with repeated price increases. First they gave away the product for free, using their venture capital funding to cover millions of pounds of SMS fragments. Then they started billing ICBs for both fragments and license fees, initially at around 25p per patient, but now at over £1 per patient. And in addition to cost - there's a growing sense that Accurx are now more interested in developing for primary care than secondary care.

Trouble is that few alternatives exist...until now. This blog compares Hero Health and Accurx, highlighting the differences in pricing, functionality, and overall value to help practices make an informed decision. Let us caveat by saying: you are reading a blog on the Hero website, so you probably know what answer we'll give you, but all the same we hope this provides some insights.

Similarities between Hero Health and Accurx

When comparing the products, it is worth noting that there are some features that both Hero and Accurx perform well. We're not ashamed to acknowledge that Accurx were first to market with patient messaging, and they've built a great tool that has provided inspiration to us and others. But then conversely, when it comes to scheduling, that was Hero's domain first, and Accurx's self-booking functionality is still catching up (cross-org booking links anyone?). eConsult were first to triage, and both Hero and Accurx have had the benefit of being later to market.

In summary, here's a list of features you'll find in both tools:

• EMIS and SystemOne integrated
• Floating toolbars, and available in the browser
• Patient messaging - Sending SMS, Email and NHS App messages to patients from a toolbar or in the browser
• Batch messaging - Sending SMS, Email and NHS App messages to patients in bulk, by first uploading a CSV file with a relevant list of patients
• Questionnaires - The ability to include (custom) questionnaire links in messages sent to patients
• Self-booking links - The abilility to include self-booking links in messages sent to patients
• Attachments - The ability to include attachments - from the desktop or record system - in messages to sent to patients
• 2-way messaging - The ability to invite patients to submit reply to the practice through a one-time link
• Triage - Invite patients to submit simple web-forms to an inbox via the practice's website

So lots of overlap, and lots of shared functionality.

Differences between Hero Health and Accurx

Let's be honest, you weren't here to read about the similarities were you? So what are the differences? Here's a couple of areas that Hero really stands apart from Accurx:

• Cross-organisational by design - Using Hero, you can invite patients to book cross-organisationally (for example into a hubsite), and you can book on their behalf cross-organisationally
• Integrated booking - Administrators and clinicians can use Hero to book patients directly into their diary or hubsite diaries, all without opening EMIS or TPP
• Campaigns - Campaigns are a series of batch messages with a specific goal in mind, for example getting the patient to complete a booking or questionnaire
• Configurable care navigation triage - Where as Accurx's patient triage is static, Hero's care navigation can be fully configured to your preferences, including your local services and your preferred triage questions
• Online booking with intake forms - There remains a time and a place for direct online booking from a practice's website. Hero facilitates this, with the addition of customisable intake forms for data capture

Then there is also the practical consideration of cost. The Hero Health platform is 45p per patient for everything - messaging, batch, triage and booking. Accurx's full product offering is now over £1 per patient, and self-booking alone is 30p per patient. In addition, SMS fragments are marginally cheaper through Hero than Accurx.

Here's a table showing you the differences:

So in summary, why choose Hero over Accurx?

Hero's configurable care navigation can be customised for your practice

Accurx's patient triage is simple for patients, but runs the risk of giving you a vast load of inbound queries to deal with every day. Hero's care navigation triage is designed to direct patients to appropriate services before they submit an online consultation, thereby reducing your direct administrative workload by 30%.

• Hero Health: Offers a fully configurable triage system that lets practices design specific pathways for clinical and administrative inquiries. This allows practices to direct patients to book appointments, access external services, or submit detailed information, all based on their unique workflow needs.

• Accurx: Provides a standard triage system that, while effective, lacks the configurability of Hero Health. Practices may find it challenging to tailor triage pathways to their exact specifications.

Hero's messaging is cost effective

Accurx don't currently support batch messaging by email with self-booking links. This means, if you want to use Accurx to send batch messages with the aim of getting patient bookings into your diary, you'll need to incur SMS fees. Both platforms support patient communication, but Hero Health’s batch messaging capabilities offer unique benefits.

• Hero Health: Provides batch messaging via email with self-booking links, allowing practices to reach multiple patients simultaneously and enabling them to book appointments directly through a link. This feature not only saves administrative time but also enhances patient experience by removing additional steps.
• Accurx: Supports batch messaging with booking links but only through SMS, which can incur higher costs for practices, especially with large patient lists.

Hero includes cross-organisational booking

In today’s collaborative healthcare environment with practices and PCNs working closely together, cross-organisational booking functionality is becoming essential.

• Hero Health: Offers native cross-organisational booking, meaning that directly from within the triage workflow practices can book patients into their appointment book or the appointment book of their hubsite. This feature supports collaborative care and ensures patients receive timely access to services.
• Accurx: While integrated with NHS systems, Accurx’s cross-organisational and appointment booking capabilities are not integrated for administrators to use directly, making it harder for practices to manage booking seamlessly across PCNs.

Pricing: Hero is substantially cheaper for your practice and ICB

One of the most significant differences between Hero Health and Accurx is cost. Hero Health is, on average, 35% cheaper than Accurx, making it an appealing option for practices aiming to maximize efficiency without inflating expenses.

• Hero Health: Offers an affordable solution without compromising on essential features. The full solution is available for 45p per patient for practices. Practices can expect consistent pricing without frequent increases.
• Accurx: While comprehensive, Accurx’s pricing structure reaches over £1 per patient for practices using their full suite, including modules like self-booking and remote consultations, making it one of the more expensive options available.

Summary - Hero or Accurx?

Hero, duh! Hero Health’s lower price, enhanced configurability, and support for cross-organisational workflows provide a more flexible, affordable solution for practices seeking to improve patient access and streamline internal operations.

For more information on Hero Health’s features and how it can support your practice, get in touch via the Get started button in the top right.