Patients are no longer content to passively let physicians make all the decisions about their health for them. Patients want to have the knowledge to be able to actively participate in their own care. Educating patients so they are more responsible for their own health is also paramount to achieving better outcomes. This is where MA-based healthcare tech company, Santovia, showcases their strengths. “The journey to physical well-being is often tough, but it can be simplified by ensuring that patients have full knowledge of their conditions and understand all possible choices allowing them to make informed decisions,” says Fiona Calnan, CEO of Santovia.

The growth in engagement through Electronic Medical Records and Patient Portals has presented a unique opportunity for physicians to be able to provide their patients with customized education materials (an education prescription). Patients no longer have to rely on a confusing array of difficult to understand and sometimes inaccurate online health information. Dedicated to providing access to patient education resources along with the opportunity to provide feedback, Santovia offers a unique platform that engages patients along their healthcare journey. Providers also have the opportunity to send out surveys to patients as they progress through treatment.

These help physicians check their patients understanding of health issues and receive regular reports on the outcome of treatment given. These surveys can be used to track patient recovery over a period of time.

Santovia’s platform works within existing patient portals to provide information directly to patients. Doctors can swiftly choose a range of different videos and short written articles that help their patients better understand their condition. The use of different languages and formats allows patients to understand the healthcare challenges their facing irrespective of their background or literacy. “Active patient engagement is vital, especially in the case of chronic conditions, to ensure patients understand the situation, change their behavior to recover faster, and the condition is managed optimally,” explains Fiona.

Santovia’s technology seamlessly integrates EBSCO Health’s shared decision tools into the Electronic Medical Record, making it simple for patient’s to access tools, such as the Option GridsTM, within their patient portal at home. Option GridsTM are one page, evidence based summaries of the available condition specific treatment options designed to support a better dialogue between patients and clinicians during consultations. These are customized based on a patient’s individual risk factors.

Santovia ensures patients and their families are well educated about the basics of the conditions affecting them so that appointments with their physician can be focused on shared decision-making and better outcomes.

Santovia is available on all platforms and optimized for smartphones and tablets, enabling easy access to tailored knowledge. It also allows physicians to create their own written material or video content from scratch and customize it for their patients.

Providers are finding that Santovia’s intuitive design and excellent integration encourages clinicians to provide more education to patients. Telluride Medical Center in Colorado recently stated, “We started using Santovia a year ago and we have had major success with it. Our providers have been using this patient education tool more than any other we have ever had. Santovia is user friendly, fast, and very informative. We have been using the videos during the office visits to help patients gain better understanding of their disease. It is giving our patients a tool to become more engaged with their care. We love the fact that the tools are available both in Spanish and English and that we can create our favorites. All these videos and documents are easily shareable to the eClinicalWorks portal or the Healow application with only one click.”

Driven by such successful use cases, Santovia is continuing to integrate with more EMR’s to expand its footprint across the physician offices in the U.S, and employers can also leverage the capabilities of Santovia, including EBSCO Health’s Option Grid and teleconsultation solutions, to bolster health engagement. With the goal of engaging, educating, and empowering patients, Santovia is set to leave a mark in the healthcare landscape in the upcoming years.