CareMessage
CareMessage is a U.S. technology non-profit that operates an AI-powered SMS patient engagement platform serving Federally Qualified Health Centers, free and charitable clinics, and tribal health organizations serving low-income populations, with EHR integrations and multilingual outreach tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What CareMessage does
CareMessage is a U.S.-based technology non-profit founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, building what it describes as the largest patient engagement platform for low-income populations in the United States. The platform serves Federally Qualified Health Centers (1 in 7 nationwide across roughly 40 states), Free and Charitable Clinics (1 in 6 nationwide, over 200 organizations), Tribal Health Organizations, Primary Care Associations, and national advocacy groups such as NACHC and NAFC. Since 2013, the company reports reaching 20 million patients through its SMS-first engagement tools, with integrations to Epic (via OCHIN), athenaHealth, and NextGen EHRs over HL7, FHIR, API, and SFTP. The technology stack is built on Google Cloud Platform with Twilio for SMS and voice, Cloudflare for CDN and security, and Google Gemini for conversational AI features.
The core platform is organized around a unified patient engagement engine supporting 1:1 Direct Messaging, Population Outreach, Health Coaching programs (evidence-based sequential messaging for diabetes and chronic conditions), SDOH Workflows, Closed Loop Referrals, and Appointment Lifecycle Messaging. The product portfolio has expanded in 2025-2026 with AI-differentiated modules including Wellness Copilot for Diabetes (launched November 2025) and Wellness Copilot for Colorectal Cancer, alongside features such as Outreach Insights, Post-Appointment Messaging Automation, and AI-powered translation in 60+ languages. CareMessage holds a granted patent covering its patient targeting, segmentation, and engagement methods, and its clinical efficacy has been validated in JAMA Network Open and a Stanford randomized clinical trial.
The business model combines subscription revenue from healthcare organizations with philanthropic capital. CareMessage employs enterprise field sales targeting FQHCs and free clinics directly, supplemented by community-led growth through PCA and HCCN partnerships and an annual 'Connected by Care' summit. Pricing is custom enterprise subscription on annual billing, designed for safety-net budget constraints. The company has raised over $43M in cumulative philanthropic capital since 2012 from donors including Google.org, Salesforce.org, Johnson & Johnson, KKR, Blackstone, Schmidt Futures, Ballmer Group, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Twilio.org, and the OpenAI Foundation. In 2024, CareMessage reported that monthly core operating expenses were covered by customer revenue for the first time, a structural milestone that shifted its fundraising toward exploratory projects. The organization has approximately 60 employees and operates exclusively in the United States.
CareMessage firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CareMessage
- Legal name
- CareMessage
- Website
- https://caremessage.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CareMessage is a U.S. technology non-profit that operates an AI-powered SMS patient engagement platform serving Federally Qualified Health Centers, free and charitable clinics, and tribal health organizations serving low-income populations, with EHR integrations and multilingual outreach tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CareMessage industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Healthcare Patient Engagement Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated) (HLALABAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Care Management & Coordination Platforms (case/disease management workflows) (HLACAHAD)
Keywords
Where CareMessage is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CareMessage business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Platform Subscriptions: CareMessage generates revenue from subscription fees charged to healthcare organizations for access to their patient engagement platform. As stated in 2024, monthly core operating expenses are now covered by customer revenue, indicating a sustainable subscription-based model.
- Philanthropic Capital and Grants: CareMessage has raised over $43M in philanthropic capital since founding in 2012 from institutional and private donors. Major donors include Johnson & Johnson, Google.org, Salesforce.org, KKR, Blackstone, Schmidt Futures, and others. The organization is shifting fundraising toward exploratory and innovative projects while core operations are now covered by revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Custom enterprise pricing for healthcare safety-net organizations |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
CareMessage product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CareMessage operates an AI-powered patient engagement platform that enables safety-net healthcare organizations (FQHCs, free and charitable clinics, and tribal health organizations) to communicate with low-income patients via SMS, voice, and multilingual outreach. The platform supports 1:1 direct messaging, population outreach campaigns, health coaching, SDOH screening, closed-loop referrals, and appointment lifecycle messaging, with specialized Wellness Copilot modules for diabetes and colorectal cancer management. The platform integrates with major EHR systems (Epic, athenaHealth, NextGen) via HL7, FHIR, API, and SFTP standards and is offered as a subscription service tailored to healthcare safety-net customers.
Product overview
CareMessage is a technology non-profit building the largest patient engagement platform for low-income populations in the United States. The platform operates as a unified patient engagement system consisting of a core platform supporting 1:1 Direct Messaging, Population Outreach, Health Coaching, SDOH Workflows, Closed Loop Referrals, and Appointment Lifecycle Messaging. The product portfolio includes specialized Wellness Copilot modules (Wellness Copilot for Diabetes and Wellness Copilot for Colorectal Cancer) that leverage AI for automated patient segmentation and conversational engagement. Additional modules include Outreach, Messenger, Programs, Referrals, Outreach Insights, Post-Appointment Messaging Automation, and Outbound Message Translations. The platform integrates with major EHR systems (Epic, athenaHealth, NextGen) and supports interoperability standards (HL7, FHIR, API, SFTP). With 20 million patients reached since 2013, CareMessage is backed by OpenAI Foundation and leverages Google Gemini for conversational AI capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CareMessage Patient Engagement Platform Core patient engagement platform enabling 1:1 Direct Messaging, SDOH Workflows, Population Outreach, Health Coaching, Closed Loop Referrals, and Appointment Lifecycle Messaging for safety-net healthcare organizations. Integrates with Epic, athenaHealth, and NextGen EHR systems via HL7, FHIR, API, and SFTP standards.
- Wellness Copilot for Diabetes First module of the Wellness Copilot product line, automating diabetes care including prevention, gap closure, and behavior change through AI-driven patient segmentation, EHR-based identification, and personalized conversational SMS engagement powered by Google Gemini. Designed for community health centers and FQHCs.
- Wellness Copilot for Colorectal Cancer Wellness Copilot module providing comprehensive colorectal cancer screening support, including population health education, screening selection, at-home test (FIT kit) completion support, and follow-up care guidance through AI-driven conversational patient engagement.
Quantifiable outcome
- Colorectal cancer screening rate increased from 2.3% to 19.6% (9x improvement) through sequential text messaging and mailed FIT kit outreach
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use CareMessage
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CareMessage technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
AI capability7 records
Feature8 records
CareMessage partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.
- Google Cloud PlatformcoreCareMessage runs on Google Cloud Platform infrastructure including Google BigQuery, Cloud Storage, Compute Engine, Container Engine, and Google Kubernetes Engine for data processing and application hosting.
- TwiliocoreTwilio provides SMS, Voice, and Phone Number services for CareMessage's messaging platform. CareMessage uses Twilio's Long Code, SMS, Voice, and TwiML services for patient communication.
- CloudflarecoreCloudflare provides CDN/Cache, Load Balancing and Monitoring, SSL Certificate Provisioning, and DNS services for CareMessage's web infrastructure.
- EpicmajorCareMessage integrates with Epic EHR systems for patient data synchronization and appointment reminder integration. Bay Area Community Health leverages OCHIN Epic integration with Wellness Copilot for Diabetes.
- athenaHealthmajorCareMessage provides integrated appointment reminder and core platform services for athenaHealth users through API-based and HL7 integrations.
- NextGenmajorCareMessage integrates with NextGen EHR for patient data synchronization and engagement workflow automation.
- National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)majorStrategic partnership with NACHC allows CareMessage to support entire segments of the safety-net healthcare system, advocate for policy change, and champion the needs of FQHCs and their patients nationwide.
- National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC)majorPartnership with NAFC enables CareMessage to support free and charitable clinics nationwide, generating insights and advocating for organizations serving communities with the greatest needs.
- OCHINmajorOCHIN provides the health IT infrastructure connecting community health centers. CareMessage integrates with OCHIN Epic to enable real-time patient data synchronization for Wellness Copilot automations.
- MailgunsupportingMailgun provides SMTP, API, and outbound delivery services for CareMessage's email communications.
- IntercomsupportingCareMessage uses Intercom Web Messenger for customer support and help center functionality.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CareMessage competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- mPulse Mobile: mPulse Mobile is a direct competitor focused on SMS-based patient engagement and health action for Medicaid, uninsured, and safety-net populations, overlapping heavily with CareMessage's core offering and customer profile.
- Artera (formerly Wellpepper): Artera is a patient communication platform offering two-way SMS, voice, and digital outreach integrated with EHRs, directly comparable to CareMessage's messaging and appointment-lifecycle workflows for provider organizations.
- Luma Health: Luma Health provides a patient engagement platform with EHR-integrated messaging, scheduling, and outreach automations, targeting ambulatory providers including FQHCs and community health systems in a similar category to CareMessage.
- Icario: Icario is a health action company focused on Medicaid, Medicare, and uninsured member engagement, using multi-channel outreach and analytics — strongly comparable to CareMessage's safety-net population focus and engagement mission.
- Upfront Healthcare: Upfront Healthcare is a patient activation and microtargeting platform that drives visit scheduling and care-gap closure via personalized outreach, mirroring CareMessage's outreach and closed-loop referral capabilities.
- CipherHealth: CipherHealth offers patient outreach, rounding, and post-discharge engagement tools for health systems, overlapping with CareMessage's outreach, post-appointment, and SDOH workflows at provider organizations.
- Twistle by Health Catalyst: Twistle, acquired by Health Catalyst, provides automated patient engagement and care plan adherence via SMS — a directly comparable EHR-integrated engagement product serving similar provider use cases.
- Relatient: Relatient delivers patient engagement, appointment reminders, and broadcast messaging for ambulatory and community health providers, overlapping with CareMessage's appointment lifecycle and outreach modules.
Broad incumbents
- Welltok: Welltok is a broader consumer activation platform for payers and providers, with overlapping patient outreach and segmentation capabilities, but operates as a larger multi-segment incumbent rather than a safety-net specialist.
Emerging players
- Carium: Carium combines care management with patient engagement for value-based care providers; its chronic-condition focus and remote patient monitoring partially overlap with CareMessage's Wellness Copilot modules.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CareMessage social profiles
Digital presenceCareMessage compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
CareMessage financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CareMessage leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
CareMessage funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CareMessage M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CareMessage
What does CareMessage do?
CareMessage operates an AI-powered patient engagement platform that enables safety-net healthcare organizations (FQHCs, free and charitable clinics, and tribal health organizations) to communicate with low-income patients via SMS, voice, and multilingual outreach. The platform supports 1:1 direct messaging, population outreach campaigns, health coaching, SDOH screening, closed-loop referrals, and appointment lifecycle messaging, with specialized Wellness Copilot modules for diabetes and colorectal cancer management. The platform integrates with major EHR systems (Epic, athenaHealth, NextGen) via HL7, FHIR, API, and SFTP standards and is offered as a subscription service tailored to healthcare safety-net customers.
Is CareMessage a public or private company?
CareMessage is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CareMessage founded?
CareMessage was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CareMessage based?
CareMessage is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does CareMessage make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Platform Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are philanthropic Capital and Grants.
Who are CareMessage's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are mPulse Mobile, Artera (formerly Wellpepper), Luma Health, Icario, Upfront Healthcare, CipherHealth, Twistle by Health Catalyst and Relatient. Welltok is listed as a broad incumbent. Carium is listed as an emerging player.
Does CareMessage have an API?
No public API is recorded for CareMessage.
What industry is CareMessage in?
CareMessage's product category is Healthcare Patient Engagement Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALABAJ, Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated), with a secondary code of HLACAHAD, Care Management & Coordination Platforms (case/disease management workflows). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 8090.