With limited provider resources, long wait times in multiple specialties, and front office staff overwhelmed by call volume, Community Care of West Virginia (CCWV) needed a better way to manage the complexities of delivering community care. As a rural federally qualified health center (FQHC) serving patients across 20+ locations, expanding digital access to care is essential, and CCWV strategically utilizes innovative technology to fulfill their mission.

Three months after implementing NextPatient’s patient engagement platform, the results speak for themselves.

Clinical application analyst Kelsey Regan shares how NextPatient's deep integration with athenahealth is automating complex workflows, increasing patient engagement, and dramatically reducing wait times.

Results that matter

• 46% of online bookings happen after business hours when offices are closed
• 39% of waitlisted patients secure earlier appointments—seen 18 days sooner on average
• 3.9% no-show rate for appointments booked online
• 3x increase in appointment confirmations within 90 days

Patient self-scheduling improves healthcare access for rural communities

For CCWV, digital tools aren't just about operational efficiency — they're about fulfilling their mission to serve rural communities.

"As a rural health center, not only a federally qualified health center, we really look to make sure that we're giving patients every opportunity to access healthcare — that they can easily make appointments, that they're getting constant reminders, and that they're able to confirm their appointments," Kelsey emphasizes. "In the span of three months, we have more than tripled our appointment confirmations, so it's been really cool to see patients be more engaged with their healthcare as a whole."

With the increase in appointment confirmations and half of online bookings happening outside of business hours, removing digital barriers with online patient scheduling and automated appointment reminders has opened doors for patients seeking care.

Why NextPatient?

After an extensive vendor search, CCWV selected NextPatient for its comprehensive capabilities and athenahealth expertise.

"We really wanted to expand our digital access to care, and we chose NextPatient after much shopping," Kelsey explains. "The depth of the product and the team's knowledge of athenahealth were the main reasons we chose NextPatient because it really works with our workflows and the customization we need within community care."

With the right technology partner, CCWV has more than just a set of features — they have an FQHC technology solution that can handle the unique needs of a complex, multi-site organization.

Implementation: Built on communication and empowerment

Rolling out features in stages at locations spread across many miles, the implementation experience set the foundation for CCWV's early success with NextPatient and equipped staff with the know-how to independently manage and optimize their setup.

"The implementation process with NextPatient was fantastic," Kelsey shares. "We had constant communication, and the implementation team really made sure that we understood the product — not only what they were setting up for us but also ensuring that we know how to manage it ourselves."

Reducing administrative burden with patient self-scheduling

One of NextPatient’s most immediate impacts has been a reduction in the administrative burden on CCWV’s front office teams.

"The changes to our in-office workflows have been a significant benefit to the staff," Kelsey notes. "We've really seen patients take on the ability to cancel and reschedule appointments themselves, which our previous vendors never had the ability to do. Empowering patients to control their own schedule has reduced a lot of call volume at our sites, and that's been a huge benefit to staff because they can focus on other priorities."

With 46% of online bookings happening after hours and patients empowered to handle routine scheduling tasks themselves, staff time is freed up for higher-value activities.

Automated waitlist: A successful pilot

Limited provider resources and, as a result, long wait times are a harsh reality for many healthcare organizations, but a pilot of NextPatient’s automated waitlist management at a single CCWV primary care location is already delivering dramatic results.

"What's really cool about our early results with the Waitlist feature is that we're only using it at one site so far. That site has such long wait times because they're so limited on which providers are working, but Waitlist is really allowing those patients to be seen much sooner."

At the pilot location, 39% of waitlisted patients are getting earlier appointments and being seen an average of 18 days sooner — results that will scale across the organization as automated waitlist management expands to additional sites.

Instant gratification: The power of real-time self-management

Beyond NextPatient’s core online patient scheduling features, CCWV has discovered unexpected benefits in day-to-day software management.

"I've really enjoyed being able to self-manage certain features — the ability to customize reminder messaging and cadences is a big one," Kelsey shares. "With other vendors that we work with, we typically have to go through a ticket process and make updates through somebody else. But with NextPatient, we're able to customize our reminders and make them live in real-time. It's so nice that it's instantaneous, which we all love these days."

With this flexibility, CCWV can easily test and optimize automated appointment reminders without waiting for vendor support tickets — a game-changer for continuously improving patient communication.

Looking ahead: Expanding digital capabilities

CCWV’s current success is just the tip of the iceberg. Plans to leverage additional NextPatient features will further streamline operations and improve patient experience.

"We have a large behavioral health program that has a waitlist of more than 300 patients right now," Kelsey explains. "As we continue rolling out more features, we're looking forward to automating our referral workflow, having a link to allow external providers to send us referrals directly to really streamline the process and get those patients seen in a more timely fashion.

"We're also looking to pilot online queuing for our walk-in sites so that patients can grab a spot in line and know that they have 45 minutes to an hour to get to the office,” says Kelsey. “Especially during flu season or bad weather, it will be really helpful to parents."

These planned enhancements will continue reducing friction in the patient journey, while giving communities greater flexibility in how they access care.

Advice for other healthcare leaders

For other healthcare organizations considering a patient engagement solution, Kelsey emphasizes the importance of understanding your own operations first.

"Advice is hard because every practice is a little bit different. For us, the key was knowing our existing workflows really well and understanding our gaps," she reflects. "That was really something that the staff at NextPatient helped us walk through — breaking down the barriers, the gaps, the shortcomings, and then really understanding how the software could make an impact. That was really huge in helping us see the bigger picture and what NextPatient was really able to do."

The takeaway: Come to vendor conversations prepared to discuss your specific challenges and workflows. The right technology partner will help you see possibilities you might not have considered.

Partnership that goes beyond the software

For healthcare organizations managing complex implementations across multiple sites, Kelsey emphasizes the importance of a quality client-vendor relationship, like CCWV’s partnership with NextPatient.

"The staff at NextPatient have been the shining star throughout this entire process. We've worked with many vendors in the past that haven't always been responsive. Knowing that there's always somebody there—and even if that one person is out, there's always someone reachable—has really been huge during the whole implementation process, especially with a company our size with locations spread out across many, many miles. We're rolling out features in stages, and the team has been incredibly patient and understanding. NextPatient definitely has a client-first mentality, which can be hard to come by anymore."

The bottom line

CCWV's results demonstrate what's possible when a patient engagement platform is built with deep EHR integration, thoughtful implementation, and ongoing partnership:

• Convenience increases with 46% of online bookings happening after hours
• Wait times drop by an average of 18 days for waitlisted patients
• Engagement soars with 3x more appointment confirmations
• No-shows plummet to just 3.9% for appointments booked online
• Staff time is reclaimed as patients self-manage scheduling tasks

And they're just getting started.

Ready to transform patient access at your practice?

Whether you're a federally qualified health center, rural practice, or multi-specialty group, NextPatient's deep athenahealth integration can help you achieve results like CCWV. Read the full case study →

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