Patient engagement & telehealth · Secure text messaging
Rhinogram
Rhinogram provides HIPAA-oriented patient text messaging and team inbox workflows for practices, without requiring a patient app.
Strong fit
- Dental, orthodontic, and specialty practices that want HIPAA-friendly texting without making patients use a portal app
- Teams moving phone tag into one shared text inbox
- Buyers comparing mid-sized patient messaging tools
Weak fit
- Health systems buying a large CRM and kiosk system as their only project
- Clinics that need a full EHR or consumer telehealth clinic
- Buyers unwilling to turn on texting for practice phone lines and train staff on a shared inbox
Bottom line
Rhinogram is worth using for small and specialty practices that want HIPAA-focused patient texting and a shared team inbox without a patient app. It suits practices moving phone tag to text.
Score breakdown
Weights: Outcomes 35% · Product 30% · Implementation 20% · Pricing clarity 15%.
Rhinogram is a patient communication company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, founded in 2015 by Dr. Keith Dressler, who leads it as CEO. Dental, orthodontic, and specialty practices use its HIPAA-focused texting, shared team inbox, and virtual visits to move phone tag into text, and patients do not need to download an app. Results show up when staff share one conversation history for each patient.
Rhinogram is messaging software and does not include an EHR or the intake and payments tools of a system like Phreesia. Setup is light for small specialty clinics, and Rhinogram posts less pricing detail than some peers.
Among the patient engagement tools we review, Rhinogram scores below OhMD and Curogram, which offer more AI and intake features, and close to Clearwave. OhMD suits buyers who want AI call handling, Spruce suits practices that want a clinical phone system plus messaging, and Curogram suits practices that want intake forms next to secure chat.
Competitor landscape
| Vendor | Overall | Ease of implementation |
|---|---|---|
| OhMD | 7.5 | 7.4 |
| Curogram | 7.5 | 7.3 |
| PerfectServe | 7.4 | 7.0 |
| Spruce Health | 7.3 | 7.4 |
| Emitrr | 7.2 | 7.1 |
| TigerConnect | 7.1 | 6.9 |
| Rhinogram | 7.1 | 7.3 |
| Dialog Health | 7.0 | 7.1 |
| CareMessage | 7.0 | 6.9 |
| QliqSOFT | 6.7 | 6.5 |
Pricing
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | A messaging subscription for practices, priced by quote. |
| What usually drives cost | Providers or locations, message volume, and optional telehealth features. |
| What to ask before you buy | Monthly cost for your number of locations, including texting volume and any telehealth add-ons. |
| Published pricing | Rhinogram publishes few of its prices, and current packages are quoted by its sales team. |
Prerequisites for purchase
| Need | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What you need to get Rhinogram to function | |
| A named front desk or access owner for the inbox and phones | Someone has to answer the inbox and phones every day, or patient messages go unanswered. |
| Starting numbers for abandoned calls, time to book, and message response | Starting numbers are the baseline for showing how much Rhinogram speeds up booking and replies. |
| A plan for writing back to the EHR or practice system, and a list of phone numbers | Without these connections, staff copy messages and appointments between screens by hand. |
| A patient consent and texting policy ready before launch | Legal or compliance review can hold up launch until the consent policy is settled. |
| A staffing plan for issues the AI or inbox cannot resolve | Patient requests that no one picks up can turn into missed visits. |
| What will maximize your value | |
| Track calls answered by staff and time to book every week for 90 days | Answered calls and time to book show whether texting is replacing phone tag. |
| Start with one location or service line first | A single location shows results sooner and is easier to support while staff learn the inbox. |
| Drop other texting tools after a month of running both | Running two texting tools means paying for both and splitting patient conversations. |
| Review stalled conversations in a regular huddle | A regular review catches conversations that stalled before the patient booked. |
| Send a monthly access summary to practice leaders | A monthly summary keeps leaders aware of booking and reply delays. |
| Deal-breakers | |
| No one will own the shared inbox. | |
| You will not do the phone or EHR connection work the product needs. | |
| You expect a full EHR replacement from a messaging tool. | |
| Leaders will not track fewer staff-answered calls or booking speed. | |
| Compliance blocks patient texting consent. | |
Value creation time frame
| # | Stage | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plan and measure the starting point | 1-3 weeks to set measures, list phone numbers, and review the EHR. |
| 2 | Set up | 2-6 weeks to set up the inbox, AI tasks, and connections, and test scripts. |
| 3 | Pilot | 2-4 weeks at one site, with a plan for issues. |
| 4 | Expand | 1-2 months to add lines and sites and retire side texting tools. |
Leadership
Methodology
| Weight | Factor | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| 35% | Customer outcomes | Whether buyers get measurable operational or clinical-workflow results after go-live |
| 30% | Product | Capability depth, reliability, and fit for the job the category buys |
| 20% | Implementation | How hard it is to stand up, integrate, train, and stabilize |
| 15% | Pricing clarity | Whether a buyer can model total cost without a mystery quote |
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Highly recommend | Strong outcomes and product with manageable caveats |
| Recommend | Solid fit for the right buyer; know the tradeoffs |
| Conditional | Only with a specific use case or heavy caveats |
| Not recommended | Avoid for most buyers in this category |
Read our full methodology for how we weight scores and assign recommend labels.