Best health messengers and communication solutions for healthcare 2026

1. Cost structure

Check the total cost of the software, including licence fees, implementation costs, training costs and any ongoing fees.

Clarify whether it is a one-off payment or a subscription fee, and how this will affect your budget in the long term.

2. Features

Make sure the software offers all the features required for your practice, your healthcare facility or your hospital. What data do you want to transmit? Do you only want to communicate, or do you also want to exchange files? Do you also want to transmit large files such as DICOM data (imaging data)?

Do you need out-of-office functions, automatic forwarding, role-based communication or unidirectional channels?

Does communication take place only within your team, or do you also want to communicate with patients and other professionals in your network?

3. Infrastructure

Clarify what infrastructure the communication solution runs on. Is it a cloud solution that can be accessed in the browser? Is a local installation on the PC necessary, or does it require a server installation and integration into a local network? Does communication also work on mobile devices, e.g. on a smartphone?

Depending on the solution, further considerations regarding security (firewall), backups, reliability and internet speed are of great importance.

4. Scalability

Check whether the communication solution can scale with the growth of your facility. You should make sure that the requirements will continue to be met in the future.

Can new employees of your organisation be managed independently, or do you have to contact support every time?

5. Integration with your primary software

Integrating your communication solution into your primary system (PIS, AIS, KIS, RIS, PACS etc.) is generally always an advantage. Are the necessary interfaces already in place, or can they be integrated? Do these interfaces only work for sending, or can incoming data also be imported?

6. Interoperability

Interoperability in communication solutions means that different services can communicate with each other. This lets users communicate across different platforms without having to switch between apps.

With all the advantages of interoperability, it is also important that aspects of data protection and security are preserved. A classic example is email communication, which is interoperable. However, data protection is only guaranteed if both sides use the same encryption technology.

7. Onboarding and support

How does onboarding to the chosen communication solution work? Is training provided on site, or is the software self-explanatory? Are local installations necessary? Who carries out these installations and configurations? What costs does this involve?

Check the software's support options, both in terms of response time, availability and cost.

8. Updates, maintenance and outages

Find out about the costs and schedule for software updates and maintenance. Are software updates included in the price, or must they be paid for separately? Should service interruptions be expected during updates?

Ask about system outages and the reliability of the chosen solution. System outages can significantly restrict your operations and, in the worst case, endanger patients.

9. Data security and compliance

Make sure the communication software complies with the data protection regulations and security standards required for health data in your country. In particular, check whether data is encrypted in transit and at rest, whether it is transmitted securely, and where it is stored. What metadata is transmitted, and who has access to it? Is access protected by two-factor authentication? Also clarify what data is left on the end device and whether a "zero footprint" approach is part of the concept. Another important question is whether the identity of all participants in the communication network has been reliably verified, and how users can verify identities.

10. References and reviews

Read reviews from software users. Ask for references and talk directly to other users about their experience. Sometimes personal advice is the right way to go, too.

11. Country-specific requirements

Consider local software. This ensures that the legal requirements and standards applicable in your country are met. Data protection laws in particular are not uniform internationally. Fortunately, the new Swiss FADP has been aligned with the European GDPR. Outside the EU, however, the legal situation can differ significantly, which means corresponding solutions carry considerable risk.

12. Long-term cost-benefit analysis

Carry out a cost-benefit analysis to make sure the software supports the profitability of your practice.

If your software supports the efficiency of your practice better than the alternative, additional costs will usually pay for themselves quickly.