Virtual Triage is Clearstep’s core solution which provides a digital AI chat experience that allows patients to type their symptoms in free-text, asks 10-15 of the most clinically relevant follow-up questions (similar to what a doctor or triage nurse would ask), analyzes the patient's symptoms, and then directs them to clear next steps for their health and care as well as educational information on how they can take care of themselves at home (OTC meds, when to seek care immediately, etc). Clearstep is a white-labeled software, so the care options presented to users are configured for each of our client’s care resources, from urgent care and telemedicine visits all the way to different specialty care types. 

Clearstep’s Virtual Triage algorithms are built on top of Schmitt Clinical Content and are unique to each patient’s symptoms, acuity, and situation. Dr. Barton Schmitt is the co-author of the telephone triage protocols used in ~95% of call centers around the country and have been validated in over 200 million telephone triage encounters. They are the gold standard for telephone triage and Clearstep is the only provider of Schmitt Clinical Content for chat-based digital self-triage. In a double blinded study, Clearstep’s triage routing exceeded 95% accuracy when compared to the judgment of a panel of ER doctors in a live, community-hospital setting.

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Clearstep’s core Virtual Triage solution includes an AI chat experience, which is configurable to your organization’s routing needs and inventory of providers and care resources. We’ll work with stakeholders across your organization to map triage endpoints, integrate provider/facility data and scheduling, define performance indicators, and tailor content, particularly for specialty care routing. Clearstep is a white-labeled experience so our solution will match your organization’s brand guidelines and specific care resources. In addition to the solution, Clearstep also provides a wide array of analytics that detail solution KPIs, capture patient demographics, and present patient behavior.

As part of a virtual triage implementation, Clearstep can also integrate with EMRs (for provider/facility data and scheduling and triage summary note storage) and CRMs (for triage summary note storage and escalation to live agents).

Implementing an initial Virtual Triage experience requires minimal engineering lift from our clients and we have completed these in as little as two weeks. Standard implementations usually follow three main steps:

1. Determine the Triage Endpoints you’d like to present to patients
2. Place a button on your homepage which directs patients into your White-Labeled Clearstep Experience
3. Launch initial marketing for the solution
   

While working through these initial steps, we can build deeper integrations, partner with your marketing team to create thorough marketing plans, and continue to iterate on the solution based on patient behavior. Scheduling integrations typically take an additional 4-8 weeks.

Clearstep is the market leader in Virtual Triage with the largest deployments in health systems/hospitals, population health management organizations, pharmacy retail organizations, and multi-specialty medical groups. Clearstep aligns its solution to help meet your organization’s goals.

1.  Our triage is evidence-based and built off of gold-standard content. Clearstep is the only chat-based triage solution on the market built off of Schmitt Clinical Content. Dr. Barton Schmitt is the co-author of the telephone triage protocols used in nearly all nurse call centers across the country.

2.  Our AI chat is fast: Clearstep asks 10 fewer questions than the competition with NLP technology that understands free text.

3.  Our Virtual Triage focuses on directing patients to the correct level of care (triage) and not differential diagnosis. We aren’t trying to play that part of a doctor, rather we strive to enable better access, transparency, and optionality for patient-consumers. Providers often prefer Clearstep over alternative triage solutions because patients who book care aren’t tied to a potential condition.

4.  We’re white-label and fully configurable: The Clearstep platform is the most configurable triage and care routing solution available. We white-label to maintain the look and feel of your organization’s digital properties and offer plug-and-play features to meet the needs of your organization, while also allowing configurability for how you’d like to handle care routing, particularly for specialty care resources.

5.  Healthcare consumers/patients love us: Clearstep’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) is 4x the industry average.

Patient Acquisition

• Use Clearstep as a lead-generator, finding consumers online with care-seeking intent, bringing them through triage, and helping them book care at your organization. We’ve shown 10x ROI with current clients via booking appointments with Clearstep for new patients to the system.

Patient Retention

• Make it easy for existing patients to always know what to do next for their care. Promoting Clearstep as part of SMS follow-ups post-visits or embedding Clearstep in existing patient portals can help achieve this value lever.

Patient Satisfaction

• Clearstep’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) is 4x healthcare’s average. We consistently see users leaving positive, promotional comments about our clients – we’re white-labeled, so users see Clearstep as an extension of their provider, and leave great feedback about Clearstep in the context of our client’s brand (like the examples on our homepage).

Call/Command Center Efficiencies

• Avoid patients calling your nurse triage line by deflecting them to Clearstep’s self-service triage.

Care Routing Efficiencies

• At the end of the day, Clearstep is all about delivering the right care, at the right time, in the right care setting. Your providers are better enabled to practice at the top of their license with Clearstep ensuring the right patients are reaching them. Your system also benefits from the efficiencies of appropriate navigation (i.e. avoiding unnecessary ER visits, promoting telehealth when appropriate, routing directly to a specialist when it makes sense, etc.)

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