Kyruus Health: Creating an accessibility strategy
The Client
Innovating how patients and clinicians connect, Kyruus Health is on a mission to connect people to the right care. Serving more than 500 healthcare organizations and 100 health plan brands, its platform includes solutions for provider data management, price transparency, provider search and scheduling, and digital patient intake — all to help people navigate and access the care they need. Kyruus Health provides a better healthcare journey, resulting in more satisfied members and patients, more aligned and engaged clinicians, and improved financial performance for the organizations it serves.
The Challenge
Kyruus Health had been working on accessibility internally for many years and wanted to ensure that patients with a range of disabilities were able to seamlessly engage with their healthcare solutions.
“In order for Kyruus Health to fulfill our mission of connecting people to the right care, we have to support the ability for anyone and everyone to engage with our platform,” shared CEO and co-founder of Kyruus Health, Graham Gardner, MD. MBA. “Accessibility is the definition of what we do.”
Making a platform accessible is a multi-step process that takes time and expertise
Internal reviews of product accessibility and circumstances within the healthcare industry created a sense of urgency for Kyruus Health.
The rise in virtual care due to the pandemic meant that more patients than ever were using Kyruus Health’s platform to find care – making the need to ensure access to everyone, more important than ever before.
Kyruus Health searched for the right partner to help them prioritize and understand accessibility in a strategic and meaningful way. Perkins Access stood out early in their search and has remained a meaningful partner for over three years.
The Outcome
“Three-years into this partnership, I can sincerely say, ‘Digital accessibility is part of the culture and fabric of our organization,’” said Vice President, Clinical, Karen Conley, DNP, RN.
Through our continued partnership, Perkins Access has provided hands-on accessibility guidance to improve their product’s accessibility and strategic consulting to improve the accessibility and inclusion of Kyruus Health at an organizational level. Not only have Kyruus Health’s products improved, but there has been a company culture shift that values accessibility.
Creating a culture of accessibility
In August 2022, Kyruus Health updated their vision statement to include accessibility. It now reads, “Our Vision: A better healthcare system–one that is transparent and accessible to everyone–where everyone gets the care they need.”
Karen Conley shared that through the partnership with Perkins Access, they have been able to, “Incorporate accessibility into all aspects of our company, which has not only improved our external reputation but has advanced our inclusive culture.”
With accessibility now integrated into the early stages of their product development and over 78 hours of accessibility training hours completed (not including hours spent by employees who attended live), accessibility has changed the way Kyruus Health works.
Kyruus Health is at the forefront of accessibility, leading the way as an organization that has made a commitment across their entire ecosystem. Not only do they value their customers on a personal level, but they aim to be a business that exceeds the standards – and provides an accessible workplace for their employees.
The Solution
“The Perkins Access team are true partners and they constantly push us to become a more accessible organization,” said Karen Conley.
How Perkins Access helped
Perkins Access began with an organizational assessment that uncovered and outlined all of the opportunities for Kyruus Health to make an impact across their product design and within their People, Marketing and Procurement functions, too. Findings made by Perkins Access revealed the need for in-depth and role specific training programs, as well as opportunities for improvement across their product design process, and company wide policy structure.