Spencer Snyder, Senior Healthcare Consultant and Research Director at KLAS Research, recently shared findings from their Patient Engagement 2025 report. After speaking with leaders at more than 70 healthcare organizations, KLAS uncovered interesting insights into the priority of this area, the nature of vendor relationships, and even how patients themselves are being included in tech decisions.

Key Takeaways

Patient engagement is no longer a nice-to-have. Providers now recognize that digital access and smoother engagement aren’t just about satisfaction—they directly cut no-shows, boost revenue, and keep patients coming back. Consolidation doesn’t mean extinction if you act like a strategic partner. Even in a market tilting toward EHR consolidation, niche and smaller vendors can survive if they sit shoulder-to-shoulder with clients and help solve real problems. Patient voices are showing up in boardrooms and even in demos. A handful of organizations now invite patients to weigh in during vendor demos, surfacing usability issues before contracts are signed. It’s a radical but practical way to avoid costly missteps. Patient Engagement Aligned with Revenue

No-shows aren’t just an operational headache. They represent lost loyalty, and lost revenue. That’s why digital front door solutions and access technologies are on the priority list. Organizations have realized that what delights patients also improves the bottom line.

“By focusing on these areas around digital front door access, it really does both serve the patient and the organization,” explained Snyder. “It’s reducing no-shows. It’s making your providers’ utilization and efficiency improve.”

Survival in a Consolidated Market Means Acting Like a Partner

The wave of post-pandemic vendor consolidation is real, but Snyder’s research shows small niche vendors still have a path forward. The difference is not just technical prowess, but whether the vendor is willing to be a true strategic partner and work shoulder to shoulder with their provider clients.

“There is still an opportunity for smaller vendors, as long as they are being seen as a strategic partner,” said Snyder. “They must help organizations not only by providing great software, but actively solve problems.”

Patients in the Demo Room Change Everything

Perhaps the most striking finding: a handful of organizations are now inviting patients to evaluate technologies during vendor demos. It’s about time.

By including patients in this early stage, provider organizations are able to catch usability issues that may not be obvious to healthcare insiders before contracts are signed.

“At some point, [providers] are bringing actual patients in to ask them: Hey, what did you think about that? Where do you feel like there’s gaps?,” shared Snyder. “What we love about that is it’s really moving that process upstream.”

Let’s hope this inclusion of patients during the evaluation phase of digital engagement solutions becomes a wider trend.

From Cosmetic to Critical

The KLAS Research report made it clear that a shift is happening. Vendors in the digital front door space are being judged by their willingness to partner, and some organizations are even giving patients a literal seat at the table. All of this shows that patient engagement has moved from cosmetic to critical – a welcome shift for patients and providers alike.

Learn more about KLAS Research: https://engage.klasresearch.com/