DocsMD vs Klara: a revenue engine vs ModMed Patient Engagement
Klara built its name on app-free, two-way texting between practices and patients. Since ModMed acquired it in 2022, it has been marketed as ModMed Patient Engagement, powered by Klara, and klara.com now leads to ModMed's page. DocsMD is a Patient Revenue Engine that runs alongside any EHR. Here's how the two compare.
- Klara is now ModMed Patient Engagement, a texting and engagement product sold with ModMed's specialty EHR and practice management systems.
- ModMed doesn't publish pricing or contract terms for it, and its pages don't name integrations outside ModMed's own systems.
- DocsMD works alongside whatever EHR a practice uses, publishes its price and itemizes every recovered visit in dollars.
- For a specialty practice already on ModMed, the built-in engagement product may be the more natural choice.
What Klara is today
Klara is a text-based patient messaging and engagement product that patients use without downloading an app. ModMed (Modernizing Medicine) announced its acquisition on February 8, 2022. Today it appears as ModMed Patient Engagement, described as powered by Klara.
Its features include call-to-text, which turns calls and transcribed voicemails into encrypted text chats; two-way and broadcast texting; 24/7 online scheduling; intake forms and insurance capture (noted as available for ModMed's EMA specialties); automated reminders; surveys and review requests; text-based payment links; pre- and post-op instructions; message routing to the right staff; and recall of lapsed patients, no-shows and cancellations for select specialties.
ModMed's page lists specialties such as allergy, dermatology, ENT, gastroenterology, OB/GYN, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pain management, plastic surgery, podiatry and urology. It names integration only with ModMed's own EHR, practice management and ModMed Pay. Whether Klara is still sold on its own to practices outside ModMed isn't stated.
What DocsMD is
DocsMD is a Patient Revenue Engine for independent healthcare practices. It runs one loop, detect, decide, act, prove, around the clock, on missed calls, cancellations, no-shows, overdue patients and insurance gaps. Patient Lobby™ catches patients who check in, wait and leave unseen, and works to rebook them.
DocsMD isn't tied to one EHR. It starts from the schedule export a practice's system already produces, with no installation and no system access, and hands bookings to the front desk to enter. DocsMD Hold blocks can reserve times in the EHR.
Side by side
- Pricing. ModMed doesn't publish pricing for ModMed Patient Engagement; its page offers a demo. DocsMD is $1,149 per location per month, or a $699 Founder Rate for the first five practices in each metro, locked while subscribed. No per-message or per-user fees.
- Contract. ModMed doesn't publish contract terms, cancellation terms or setup fees for the product. DocsMD uses a 12-month agreement with a Recovery Guarantee.
- What it does. Klara is a communication layer: texting, scheduling, intake, reminders, payments and message routing inside the ModMed ecosystem. DocsMD is an outcome layer: it finds revenue at risk in the schedule, acts on it, and proves what came back.
- BAA. ModMed's pages describe Klara as built for HIPAA-compliant practices, but don't state whether a BAA is signed, so ask. DocsMD signs a Business Associate Agreement with every practice before any patient data moves, including for the free leak audit.
- AI approach. ModMed's Front Office Assistant offers AI prioritization of urgent messages, auto-replies to basic scheduling questions, auto-closing of pleasantries, chat summaries and AI-powered retention for select specialties; ModMed's page notes some described features are not yet available. DocsMD sends most replies through numbered menus that never reach an AI model, keeps texts to the practice name, times and choices, and never uses patient data to train AI.
- How results are measured. ModMed's page doesn't describe a dollar-based results report for the product. DocsMD itemizes every recovered visit by patient, date, action and dollar amount weekly, and guarantees at least 2x its fee each month or the next month is free.
Built into your EHR vs running alongside it
An engagement tool owned by your EHR vendor has a real advantage: the data is already there, messages appear next to the chart, and there is one company to call. The tradeoff is that its reach usually stops at the edge of that ecosystem.
A tool that runs alongside the EHR works the other way. It doesn't need the EHR vendor's permission or a custom integration, so it can be set up in days from a schedule export, and it keeps working if you change systems later. The tradeoff is that bookings are entered by your staff rather than written directly into the chart.
A practical test: list the three revenue problems that cost you most each month, such as unfilled cancellations, unanswered calls at lunch, and patients overdue for follow-up. For each, ask the vendor who notices it, who acts, and how you'll see the dollar result. The answers tell you more than a feature list.
Who should pick which
If your specialty practice already runs ModMed's EHR and practice management, ModMed Patient Engagement is the natural place to start. You get texting, intake, scheduling and payments tied to the system you already use, and the specialty-specific recall features where available.
DocsMD fits independent practices on any EHR that want an accountable layer focused on recovered revenue, with a fixed published price and weekly itemized proof. Practices on ModMed can also use DocsMD alongside it, provided patients don't get overlapping messages and both vendors are under a signed BAA.
What to ask before you choose
- Is this product sold to practices that don't use your EHR, and if so, how does it connect?
- What will I pay per month and per year, and are there setup or per-message charges?
- Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement before any patient data moves?
- Which AI features are live today, and which are on the roadmap?
- How will I see, in dollars, the visits your product recovered last month?
Works with the EHR you already have
DocsMD runs from your schedule export, so it doesn't matter which EHR you use. The free leak audit, done under a signed BAA, shows what missed calls, cancellations, no-shows and overdue patients are costing you, and once live every recovered visit is itemized weekly against a guarantee of at least 2x your fee.
Questions
Is Klara still available?
Klara is now marketed as ModMed Patient Engagement, powered by Klara, and klara.com redirects to ModMed's page. ModMed doesn't state whether it is sold to practices that don't use ModMed's systems; ask its sales team.
How much does Klara cost?
ModMed doesn't publish pricing for ModMed Patient Engagement. Its page offers a demo.
Does Klara sign a BAA?
ModMed's pages describe Klara as built for HIPAA-compliant practices but don't state whether a BAA is signed. Request one in writing before any patient data moves.
Does DocsMD need a specific EHR?
No. DocsMD works alongside your EHR from the schedule export it already produces. It doesn't claim certified EHR integrations, and bookings are handed to your front desk to enter.