Case studies

Harborline Children's Network

Pediatric care navigation and family portal redesign

The challenge

Harborline served thousands of families across three pediatric clinics. Their patient portal had low adoption rates, families weren't completing intake forms before visits, and appointment no-shows were high. Parents found the system confusing and difficult to navigate—even finding the right information about what to bring to appointments or how to follow up on care instructions was hard.

The clinics needed a solution that would help families engage with their care, not create another frustration point in an already complex healthcare experience.

Our approach

• → User research with families. We interviewed parents across literacy levels, ages, and technical comfort, observing how they interacted with the current system.
• → Simplified intake flow. We redesigned the pre-visit questionnaire with plain language, logical sections, and progress indicators so families knew where they were and what came next.
• → Clear before/after guidance. Each appointment now includes what to bring, how to prepare, and what to expect—in language families can understand.
• → Mobile-first design. We knew families often access the portal on phones while on the go, so we designed for small screens first.
• → Accessibility from day one. Screen reader testing, keyboard navigation, high contrast, and large text options were built in, not added later.

Key deliverables

• ✓ Redesigned patient portal with improved usability
• ✓ Simplified pre-visit intake process
• ✓ Clear appointment preparation and follow-up guidance
• ✓ Automated appointment reminders and confirmations
• ✓ Admin dashboard for staff to manage tasks
• ✓ Training for clinical staff and families

Measurable impact

Cedar Grove Community Health

Multilingual appointment and referral tools

The challenge

Cedar Grove served a linguistically and economically diverse community across four clinic locations. Patients often had limited digital access, low English proficiency, and transportation barriers. The clinic's phone-based appointment and referral system was overloaded: staff spent most of their time on the phone rather than in patient care. Patients struggled to understand referral instructions and follow-up timelines, leading to missed appointments at specialists.

The clinic needed tools that would work for their actual community—multilingual, accessible on basic phones, and designed for people navigating healthcare with limited resources.

Our approach

• → Deep community engagement. We met with patients and staff to understand their actual access (many use basic phones, not smartphones), preferences, and barriers.
• → Multilingual first. The platform launches in English and Spanish, with support for phone-based and web access so every patient can participate.
• → SMS and call capability. We built appointment reminders via SMS and phone calls so patients get notifications regardless of internet access.
• → Clear referral tracking. When a patient is referred to a specialist, they get written instructions in their language, and clinic staff can track whether they made the appointment.
• → Proactive outreach. The system flags patients who haven't completed follow-ups so community health workers can reach out and help.

Key deliverables

• ✓ Bilingual scheduling system (English and Spanish)
• ✓ Phone and web-based access for appointments
• ✓ SMS and voice reminders for appointments
• ✓ Referral tracking and status updates
• ✓ Community health worker outreach dashboard
• ✓ Staff training and ongoing support

Measurable impact

Meridian Specialty Care

Referral workflow modernization

The challenge

Meridian was a large specialty practice with cardiologists, rheumatologists, and orthopedists across five locations. Referrals came in from primary care offices and other specialists through multiple channels: fax, email, phone calls. Each clinic processed referrals differently. Clinical data was scattered across different EHR systems, forcing specialists to ask patients to repeat information. Processing a single referral took multiple days and involved duplicate data entry.

Meridian needed a modern referral system that would standardize workflows, integrate with their multiple EHRs, and get patients scheduled faster with all the clinical context specialists needed upfront.

Our approach

• → Centralized referral portal. We built a single intake point for all referrals with automated routing to the right clinic and clinician.
• → EHR integration. The system connects to Meridian's three different EHRs, pulling patient demographics and relevant clinical history automatically so specialists have context.
• → Standardized workflows. All clinics follow the same triage and scheduling process, with clear hand-offs and status tracking.
• → Real-time status for referring providers. Primary care offices can track the status of every referral they send and know when the specialist has seen the patient and what was recommended.
• → Clinician-friendly design. We worked closely with specialists to ensure the system fit their workflows, not the other way around.

Key deliverables

• ✓ Centralized referral intake portal
• ✓ Integration with three different EHR systems
• ✓ Automated referral routing and triage
• ✓ Real-time status updates for referring providers
• ✓ Clinician task dashboard for review and prioritization
• ✓ Analytics and referral pattern reporting

Measurable impact