AI-enabled, secure text-first messaging solution combines the convenience of texting with the privacy and protection patients expect and deserve.

SUSSEX, Wis., Aug. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- QuadMed, a national leader in employer-sponsored healthcare, today announced enhanced text-first messaging capabilities that make it easier for patients to access care before, after, and between visits. The experience seamlessly integrates SMS text with secure messaging, giving patients a more convenient way to stay connected while protecting their health information.

A 2026 survey found that 90 percent of patients prefer to receive healthcare communications via text. QuadMed's secure messaging experience is designed to support HIPAA-compliant communication and is backed by a robust security program that has achieved HITRUST i1 Certification, reinforcing the organization's commitment to protect patient information. Combined with QuadMed's AI-enabled care navigation, 24/7 Symptom Checker, and eVisit tools, the enhanced messaging experience connects patients to the right care at the right time while giving care teams more cognitive bandwidth to focus on patient care.

"At QuadMed, convenience should never come at the expense of patient privacy," said Kathryn Quadracci Flores, MD, CEO of QuadMed. "Text messaging is familiar and accessible, but standard SMS is not designed for confidential clinical communication. We use it for limited, routine interactions and move sensitive conversations into an authenticated, secure experience. This privacy-by-design approach allows us to meet patients where they are while applying the safeguards their health information deserves."

Quickly Connecting Patients to Care

QuadMed's enhanced patient messaging experience supports routine healthcare tasks through SMS and confidential clinical conversations through secure messaging. Patients who opt-in to the experience can use SMS to manage appointments, prepare for visits, stay on track with preventive care, and complete other non-confidential healthcare tasks.

When confidential health information needs to be shared, the conversation starts with a text. Patients receive a text notification with a secure link that seamlessly moves the conversation into QuadMed's HIPAA-compliant messaging experience, where they can continue communicating with their care team. Connected to the patient's electronic health record, the secure messaging experience supports ongoing conversations between visits, making it easy for patients to stay connected to their care plan.

Building the Future of Trusted, Connected Care

QuadMed believes the future of healthcare depends on making care easier to access without compromising the trust patients place in their healthcare providers. As the company continues expanding its AI-enabled platform, future innovations will include personalized self-service experiences, including an intelligent assistant that helps patients understand their health information, complete routine healthcare tasks, and confidently navigate their care.

Every new capability is built on the same privacy-by-design foundation that powers QuadMed's text-first messaging experience. Rather than asking patients and clinicians to choose between convenience and security, QuadMed delivers both, creating a trusted digital care experience that protects patient information, strengthens relationships with care teams, and helps employers deliver better health outcomes and lower total cost of care. These digital capabilities are designed to augment, not replace, care by helping patients navigate their health while keeping clinicians at the center of every care experience.

About QuadMed

QuadMed, LLC, a subsidiary of Quad/Graphics, Inc. (NYSE:QUAD), is a healthcare experience company that partners with employers across the country to provide direct access to whole-person care for employees and families. For over 35 years, employers have trusted QuadMed to improve health, enhance productivity, and reduce costs. Family-controlled, physician-led, and committed to doing the right thing, QuadMed delivers value-driven solutions, including primary care, occupational health, behavioral health, pharmacy, physical therapy, dental, vision, fitness, and wellness coaching that empower employees and create healthier, more productive workplaces. Learn more at quadmedical.com.

About Quad

Quad (NYSE:QUAD) is a marketing experience, or MX, company that helps brands make direct consumer connections, from household to in-store to online. The company does this through its MX Solutions Suite, a comprehensive range of marketing and print services that seamlessly integrate creative, production, and media solutions across online and offline channels. Supported by state-of-the-art technology and data-driven intelligence, Quad simplifies the complexities of marketing by removing friction wherever it occurs along the marketing journey. Quad employs approximately 10,000 people in 10 countries and serves approximately 2,100 clients. For more information about Quad, including its commitment to operating responsibly, intentional innovation, and values-driven culture, visit quad.com.

Media Contact

Marli Grossman

Vice President, Marketing

mgrossman@quadmedical.com

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SOURCE QuadMed