What You Should Know:
– Beauregard Health System, a rural community provider in De Ridder, Louisiana, successfully integrated two leading technologies within its MEDITECH Expanse electronic health record (EHR) system to deliver a more unified provider and patient experience: Artera’s AI-powered patient communication platform and a prescription engagement solution from DrFirst.
– This integration is the latest evolution of Beauregard Health System’s broader patient engagement strategy, building on its existing AI-forward patient communication workflows to empower patients with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their health.
Strengthening Rural Patient Engagement Through Unified, Text-First Communication
Beauregard Health System (BHS) is a community-owned, not-for-profit health system committed to delivering high-quality, compassionate care close to home. Serving Beauregard Parish and surrounding rural communities, the organization focuses on improving health outcomes, expanding access, and building trust through practical, patient-centered innovation.
A significant portion of BHS patients rely on Medicare and Medicaid and live in rural areas with limited broadband connectivity. In this context, text messaging has emerged as the most reliable and effective digital channel for patient outreach.
“Text messaging is our most effective channel for reaching patients, so we are constantly seeking ways to enhance it,” said Meg Jackson, Director of IT at Beauregard Health System. “Our goal with this integration was to unify messaging from disparate sources. By consolidating outreach through a single phone number, we’ve reduced barriers and strengthened patient trust. When patients receive secure medication information from a recognizable source, it reinforces their confidence in us and improves their overall experience.”
Following the integration, eligible patients aged 18 and older receive a personalized text message from their provider’s trusted 10-digit phone number within minutes of completing an appointment if a medication is prescribed. The secure message delivers medication details, pharmacy information, educational resources, and cost-saving options—without requiring patients to download an app or log into a patient portal.
The impact has been substantial:
- A 500% increase in prescription-related messages sent to patients
- A 550% increase in educational content viewed
- A 650% increase in prescription pick-up reminders set by patients
Despite the scale-up, DrFirst maintained its nearly 100% patient satisfaction rate, underscoring the effectiveness of streamlined, patient-friendly communication.
Beyond medication engagement, Beauregard Health System continues to advance preventive care using AI-enabled communication. In just two months, the organization deployed Artera Flows Agents, closing 18% of gaps in mammography screenings and 13% in colorectal cancer screenings—demonstrating how targeted outreach can translate into measurable population health gains.
The collaboration between Artera and DrFirst also marks a milestone in MEDITECH Alliance Partner interoperability. Through a unified Communication Hub experience, mutual customers benefit from seamless integration across platforms, enabling connected, trusted, and accessible care—particularly for rural populations where simplicity and reliability matter most.
