Connecting Patients
to Care

Context

What was happening

When the MyChart initiative began, adoption sat at just 12%—well below the 30% target needed to qualify for Epic's incentive and far below what patients needed for equitable access to care. Patients didn't understand what MyChart was for or how it would help them. Existing materials were dense with technical jargon, had confusing visuals, lacked Spanish translations, and weren't mobile-friendly. The experience was fragmented across web, print, and clinic touchpoints, with no consistent messaging.

Why this mattered

This wasn't just a digital rollout—it was about health equity and access. Without MyChart, patients faced:

• Delayed access to test results (waiting for phone calls instead of instant portal access)
• Phone tag with providers (leaving voicemails instead of secure messaging)
• Difficulty managing appointments and prescriptions (especially for caregivers helping aging parents)
• No way to access care information outside clinic hours

For vulnerable populations—Spanish-speaking patients, older adults with limited digital literacy, and working families who couldn't call during business hours—these barriers were even higher.

What would happen if we failed

Salem Health would miss the Epic incentive, continue operating with outdated patient communication methods, and fail to provide equitable digital access to the populations who needed it most. Low adoption would also damage credibility with executive leadership and undermine staff confidence in digital tools.

Constraints

• High-visibility project with monthly executive and IT committee reviews
• Accessibility and language requirements (bilingual, plain language, mobile-first)
• Fragmented legacy materials requiring retirement and replacement
• Limited ability to modify the Epic platform itself (could only change how we communicated about it)
• Need for cross-department buy-in from IT, clinic managers, and security stakeholders

Strategy & Hypothesis

Core belief

Clarity builds trust, especially for vulnerable populations. If we explained MyChart in plain language, showed the simplest path forward, kept messaging consistent everywhere, and prioritized equity from the start, patients would feel more confident and more likely to adopt it. Digital health tools only advance health equity when they're designed and communicated with accessibility in mind.

Message shift that changed everything

We partnered with VisionCritical (patient community) to learn what patients actually valued. They told us they cared most about:

1. Getting test results faster
2. Messaging their provider directly
3. Skipping phone tag

We shifted our entire messaging hierarchy away from administrative tasks ("manage appointments," "pay bills") to these human benefits. This reframing was critical for building trust with patients who saw MyChart as "another login" instead of a care access tool.

Strategic approach

Success metrics

• Primary: System-wide adoption rate (goal: exceed 30%)
• Equity indicators: Adoption by language preference, age group, and proxy access usage
• Engagement signals: Video views, QR scan tracking, email performance, web traffic
• Organizational: Executive confidence, staff engagement, sustainable infrastructure

Decisions

DECISION 1

Build the MyChart landing page as the single source of truth and retire all legacy materials

Tradeoff: Larger upfront effort and required convincing stakeholders to let go of materials some clinics were still using, which created short-term disruption

Why: Fragmented materials created confusion and undermined trust. A single source of truth ensured consistency, gave us one place to measure engagement, and prevented clinics from distributing outdated or conflicting instructions. This was essential for equity—patients needed to get the same clear message regardless of which clinic they visited.

DECISION 2

Shift messaging from administrative tasks to human benefits based on patient research

Tradeoff: Required partnership with VisionCritical for research and pushed back on IT's preferred messaging hierarchy (which led with technical features)

Why: Patient research revealed they cared most about "see test results fast" and "message your provider directly"—not "manage appointments" or "pay bills." Leading with immediacy and connection built trust and helped patients see MyChart as a care tool, not a burden. This was especially important for working families and vulnerable populations who needed to see clear value before investing time in setup.

DECISION 3

Invest in bilingual materials (English/Spanish) even when it created internal friction

Tradeoff: Additional production time, cost, translation review cycles, and pushback from stakeholders who questioned whether Spanish-speaking patients would use digital tools

Why: Equity isn't optional. Spanish-speaking patients deserved the same clear access as English-speaking patients. Without bilingual materials, we would have deepened existing health disparities. The investment paid off—Spanish-language materials achieved comparable engagement to English, proving the skeptics wrong.

DECISION 4

Use QR codes on print materials despite skepticism that "older patients won't use them"

Tradeoff: Internal resistance and concerns about accessibility for 50+ patients

Why: QR codes with UTM tracking let us bridge physical touchpoints (clinics) to digital (landing page) and measure print effectiveness. We paired QR codes with large-type instructions and offered help-at-check-in support. Analytics proved consistent use across all age groups, including 50+ patients.

DECISION 5

Send one breakthrough email with plain-language subject line: "If you're a Salem Health patient, you need this"

Tradeoff: Risk of sounding too casual or "clickbait-y" and potentially damaging credibility

Why: Monthly feature-focused emails were performing well, but we needed a breakthrough moment. Plain language + benefit-first messaging (test results and provider messaging) achieved 80%+ open rate, 70%+ click-through, and drove adoption from 12% to 24% in one week. The risk paid off because the content delivered on the promise—it wasn't clickbait, it was genuine value.

Execution

Patient Education & Digital Hub

Building the foundation for access

• Designed and launched the MyChart landing page from scratch—I personally wrote all copy, structured layout, selected imagery, and ensured mobile optimization
• Built comprehensive tutorial section with step-by-step videos (web and mobile), printable written guides, and bilingual versions (English/Spanish)
• Created FAQs in plain language (6th-8th grade reading level) addressing common barriers and concerns
• Worked with Epic's brand team to approve a promotional video—I wrote the narration, storyboard, and visual direction
• Led complete redesign of IT-created instructions (previously cluttered with mismatched screenshots and jargon) into clear, visual, step-by-step guidance

Bilingual & Accessible Materials

Removing language and literacy barriers

• Directed bilingual versions of all patient-facing materials (landing page, videos, print materials, email campaigns)
• Created large-type handouts for 50+ patients with visual step-by-step guidance
• Developed proxy-access guides for adult children helping aging parents, including QR-coded rack cards and front-desk scripts
• Ensured all materials met health literacy standards (plain language, clear formatting, minimal jargon)

In-Clinic Presence & Community Touchpoints

Meeting patients where they are

• Developed bilingual rack cards (English and Spanish) explaining MyChart benefits and sign-up steps
• Added QR codes to all print materials linking to landing page, tracked via UTM parameters to measure engagement
• Personally distributed materials to every primary care and urgent care clinic across the system
• Placed pull-up banners in high-traffic clinic areas highlighting top MyChart features
• Partnered with front-desk staff to offer help-at-check-in support for patients with questions

Email Campaigns & Messaging

Human-first communication that drove action

• Ran monthly awareness emails targeting patients who had completed an appointment within 18 months
• Each email highlighted one feature with clear value proposition and directed to landing page
• Wrote and deployed breakthrough email with subject "If you're a Salem Health patient, you need this"—focused on test results and provider messaging
• Segmented messaging by audience:
  • Adult children of aging parents: "Help mom or dad manage care from anywhere"
  • Adults 50+: "Skip phone tag. See results faster."
  • Adults 30-50: "Finish sign-up in a minute. Message your care team on the go."

Analytics, Governance & Cross-Functional Leadership

Building sustainable infrastructure

• Built analytics dashboard tracking adoption rates, video views, QR usage, web engagement, and email performance
• Presented monthly metrics to cross-functional MyChart Committee (IT, clinic managers, security stakeholders, executives)
• Used data to guide quarterly updates to materials and messaging based on performance
• Worked closely with IT for technical implementation while owning all public communication and user experience
• Earned executive support for continued investment in patient education and digital tools through demonstrated results
• Retired outdated materials and established landing page as single source of truth across the system

Results

Primary Metrics

Equity Outcomes

• Spanish-language materials achieved comparable engagement to English materials, validating investment in bilingual content and demonstrating equitable access
• QR code analytics showed consistent use across all age groups, including 50+ patients, disproving initial skepticism
• Proxy access sign-ups increased, helping adult children support aging parents with care management
• Mobile traffic to landing page exceeded 60%, confirming mobile-first design was critical for reaching working families

Organizational & Operational Wins

• Established MyChart landing page as single source of truth, retiring all scattered outdated materials across the system
• Built sustainable analytics dashboard providing ongoing visibility into adoption, engagement, and channel performance
• Strengthened cross-functional collaboration between Marketing and IT—proved coordinated teams can deliver system-wide change
• Earned executive support for continued investment in patient education and digital access initiatives
• Improved patient confidence and trust through clearer, more consistent communication about digital health tools
• Created replicable model for future patient education and access campaigns

Impact & What This Taught Me

Clarity is a health equity issue

When instructions are confusing or only available in English, we create barriers that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Plain language, bilingual content, and accessible design aren't "nice to have"—they're essential to serving everyone.

Lead with human benefits, not features

Patients don't care about "portal functionality." They care about getting results fast, skipping phone tag, and managing care on their own time. Reframing from administrative tasks to human benefits built trust and drove adoption.

Equity requires upfront investment and pushing back on skepticism

Spanish materials, large-type handouts, and QR codes all faced internal resistance. Making the case for equity—and proving results—required data, persistence, and willingness to challenge assumptions.

Consistency builds trust across vulnerable populations

When messaging matched across web, email, print, and in-clinic materials, patients felt more confident. For populations already navigating healthcare system complexity, consistency reduces cognitive load and builds trust.

Cross-functional partnership accelerates sustainable change

Working closely with IT, clinic staff, and executive leadership created faster turnarounds, fewer barriers, and lasting infrastructure. Sustainable adoption requires more than marketing—it requires organizational alignment.

What I'd Do Next

• Build segment-specific landing pages (proxy access for caregivers, mobile setup for younger patients, large-print version for 50+ audience) to reduce friction for each group
• Create onboarding email sequence for new sign-ups highlighting one feature per week to drive ongoing engagement and reduce drop-off
• Test patient video testimonials showing real people explaining how MyChart helped them—putting a face to the benefits
• Develop lightweight in-clinic demo stations where staff can walk patients through sign-up in real-time for those who need hands-on support
• Expand measurement to track health outcomes—do patients with MyChart access have better appointment adherence? Faster follow-up on abnormal results? These metrics would strengthen the case for continued investment

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