Hero Health vs. PATCHS

Hero Health vs. PATCHS: Which Online Consultation Platform Should You Choose?

In recent years, PATCHS has gained traction in NHS GP practices as an online consultation platform. PATCHS began its life as an academic project and was later acquired by software giant Advanced, reportedly for a sum of around £1M, thanks to an aggressive pricing strategy that drew in plenty of NHS interest.

While PATCHS focuses on simple online consultations, Hero Health delivers a comprehensive platform, encompassing triage, messaging, care navigation, and appointment booking. From custom triage workflows to fully integrated booking, Hero Health addresses the complete patient journey—helping practices reduce administrative burdens and enhance patient engagement.

What Do Hero Health and PATCHS Have in Common?

Let’s look at the similarities first:

• Online consultation: Both allow patients to submit consultations online, saving them from endless phone queues.
• Patient-friendly interfaces: Each platform offers a user-friendly design, promising minimal fuss for patients.
• EMIS and SystmOne integration: Data flows seamlessly into the clinical record, removing double-entry headaches.
• Competitive pricing: Both PATCHS and Hero Health are more cost-effective than some other systems on the market (like Accurx or Anima).

But that’s where the similarities end—let’s dive into what sets them apart.

Key Differences Between Hero Health and PATCHS

Configurability

PATCHS: PATCHS offers an open-ended online consultation form through a chatbot-style interface. While easy to use, there’s not a whole lot of customisation available. As a regulated Medical Device, it’s restricted in what you can change—meaning limited flexibility for practices looking to adapt the system to local services.

Hero Health: Hero’s Care Navigation & Triage system is fully configurable, letting practices fine-tune the patient journey. You can design bespoke triage pathways, integrate external services, and set direct appointment triggers. Ultimately, it ensures that patients reach the right service the first time—massively reducing administrative workload.

Integrated Booking

PATCHS: PATCHS offers limited self-booking capabilities. Although patients can sometimes grab an appointment via messaging, it’s pretty rudimentary.

Hero Health: At Hero, we view booking as a critical juncture for both patients and practices. With Hero’s Online Booking, you can invite patients to self-book through individual messages or batch campaigns, or let them book directly from your website 24/7 (including cross-organisational booking, for those who need to slot into a PCN hub). You can even add intake forms to collect key info upfront, ensuring safer, more efficient appointments.

Patient Experience

PATCHS: PATCHS is user-friendly, but its open-ended questions can result in superficial responses, forcing practices to chase further details. Less admin burden? Maybe. Fewer headaches? Debatable!

Hero Health: Hero balances simplicity with thoroughness. You can opt for short, focused forms or ask for more detail—practices can customise questions if patients aren’t giving enough information. This method avoids drawn-out back-and-forth, giving you the important stuff in one go.

Cost

PATCHS: Some commissioners manage to procure PATCHS at 9p per patient (that’s unbelievably cheap!). However, the simpler it is, the more you might end up paying in staff time or complementary tools.

Hero Health: Hero’s pricing is always transparent: 45p per patient per year. That covers everything—consultations, triage, messaging, integrated booking, you name it. No hidden extras, no last-minute add-ons.

Why Choose Hero Health Over PATCHS?

Comparing the two yields some pretty clear winners for Hero Health. Let’s sum it up:

1. Fully Configurable Care Navigation

PATCHS sticks to static, open-ended questions, which can be limiting. Hero Health, on the other hand, lets you construct a triage system that really reflects your practice’s unique needs and local partnerships.

2. End-to-End Workflow Integration

While PATCHS is more of a one-trick pony, Hero Health covers messaging, triage, and booking—saving time, reducing stress, and boosting efficiency.

3. Cost Savings Beyond Price Per Patient

PATCHS might seem a bargain at first glance, but once your staff spend countless hours chasing patients, you’ll start to wonder where those savings went. Hero Health’s advanced functionality pays for itself by consolidating tasks into one platform.

4. Designed for Collaborative Care

Working in a PCN or hub? Hero Health’s cross-organisational booking was built for teams like yours. PATCHS, by contrast, has limited support in this area.

Summary: Hero Health vs. PATCHS—Which Wins?

PATCHS is fine if you purely want a basic, cost-attractive online consultation tool. But for those seeking a future-proof solution that reduces admin, seamlessly handles triage, and helps patients find the right care—from local pharmacists to specialist hubs—Hero Health is your answer.

• If your main priority is ultra-low immediate cost and you don’t mind potential hidden work, PATCHS might suffice.
• If you want comprehensive triage, appointment booking, and messaging in one place, at a great price, Hero Health wins—hands down.

Convinced? Or maybe just a little curious? Get in touch with us at Hero Health and see how we’re reshaping primary care. We promise you’ll never look back.

Tip: If you’re interested in how Hero compares with other popular solutions, check out our Hero Health vs. eConsult blog or see how we fare against Accurx in Hero Health vs. Accurx.