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Digital Continuing Care Vendor Evaluation Scorecard

Use this worksheet to compare digital continuing care tools before you bring a recommendation to clinical leadership, operations, or ownership.

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How To Use It

Score each category from 1 to 5, note any non-negotiables, and use the final worksheet to align stakeholders before a pilot.

Scoring Scale

1 = poor fit, 3 = acceptable with caveats, 5 = strong fit with clear executive confidence.

Suggested Stakeholders

Clinical leadership, operations, discharge planning, alumni or recovery support, and executive decision-makers.

Evaluation Categories

Category 1

Clinical Fit

The tool should reinforce the modalities your team already teaches rather than introduce a competing philosophy.

Questions To Score

  • Does it align with the clinical language your team already uses in residential, PHP, and IOP?
  • Will clinicians feel comfortable recommending it during treatment and after discharge?
  • Is it clearly positioned as a supplement to care rather than a therapy replacement?

Category 2

Safety And Clinical Boundaries

Clear product boundaries matter more than feature breadth when the cost of confusion is clinical risk.

Questions To Score

  • Are the limits of the product explicit, including crisis and escalation boundaries?
  • Does it avoid high-risk engagement patterns like anonymous forums or open-ended AI therapy chat?
  • Would your compliance and clinical leaders agree that the product stays in its lane?

Category 3

Privacy And Compliance Exposure

Executives do not want hidden PHI workflows or provider-side data management surfacing after procurement starts.

Questions To Score

  • Where is client activity data stored and who controls it?
  • Does your team need to manage patient data in a provider dashboard?
  • Can clients choose if and when they share their activity with staff?

Category 4

Operational Lift

A tool that sounds lightweight in a demo can still create rollout drag or long-term monitoring burden.

Questions To Score

  • How much staff training is required before launch?
  • Does anyone need to check a dashboard, queue, or inbox on an ongoing basis?
  • Can this be introduced without adding work to case management or discharge teams?

Category 5

Implementation And Adoption

The best-fit solution should be easy to introduce at intake, step-down, discharge, or alumni handoff points.

Questions To Score

  • Can clients start using it quickly without complex setup or account provisioning?
  • Are staff materials available for rollout and talking points?
  • Can you launch a limited pilot without major IT or EHR work first?

Category 6

Pilot Readiness And Measurement

A strong partner should help you define success before rollout rather than after budget is already committed.

Questions To Score

  • Can you define a small, low-risk pilot with a clear owner?
  • Do you know what first-30-day metrics would indicate traction or poor fit?
  • Can the tool be evaluated without a six-month implementation cycle?

Category 7

Commercial Fit

The buying model should match how treatment centers actually budget and evaluate new services.

Questions To Score

  • Is pricing simple enough to model for leadership and ownership?
  • Can the vendor support a pilot before a larger commitment?
  • Does the contract structure fit how your program approves new tools?

Red Flags

Fast Filters For Executive Review

If multiple items below are true, the tool is likely to create more internal friction than practical value.

Requires staff to monitor a new dashboard or inbox every day.
Creates unclear HIPAA, PHI, or provider-side data workflow questions.
Uses anonymous community features or other unmoderated peer content.
Markets itself as a replacement for therapy, counseling, or clinical judgment.
Requires heavy IT, EHR, or integration work before a pilot can begin.
Cannot explain what success should look like in the first 30 days.

Final Page

Pilot Decision Worksheet

Top three must-haves for our program
Top three red flags we will not accept
Best first use case: intake, step-down, discharge, alumni, or group support
Pilot owner and cross-functional stakeholders
First-30-day success metrics
Recommended next step: reject, revisit later, or pilot now
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