About PatientForward Design
I'm Gayle Karow, founder of PatientForward Design. I build websites for healthcare organizations that are clear, inclusive, and built around real patient needs.
Most say the revenue cycle starts at scheduling. I say it starts at the website. After more than two decades helping patients navigate insurance and billing challenges, I saw the same frustrations repeat themselves, and most of them started before a claim was ever filed. Patients could not find hours. Forms did not work on phones. Information was buried or unclear. Clinics were losing patients before they even got the chance to say "hello". These frustrations were causing patients to go elsewhere, and clinics to lose business as a result. I founded PatientForward Design to change that.
I am committed to making sure that my websites are accessible to as many humans as possible. Every site I build meets WCAG 2.2 AA, exceeding the WCAG 2.1 AA standard required under HHS Section 504 and reducing exposure under ADA Title III.
I am also committed to making sure my websites are visible to AI systems. The same clean, semantic HTML that makes a page work for a patient using a screen reader is what makes it legible to the AI systems patients now use to find care. I build every site with the structure, clarity, and substance that AI systems reward, so your patients find you, not the clinic down the street.
I believe clarity is a form of care. Every patient deserves a website that helps them move forward with confidence, and every clinic deserves a website that helps its patients find the information they need so staff can concentrate on patient care.
I work with independent practices and healthcare organizations across the United States.
Accessibility is the Foundation
My Accessibility Quality Checks Include:
- Appropriate color contrast ratios
- Descriptive alt text on all meaningful images
- Correct heading hierarchy
- Consistent navigation
- Full keyboard navigation
- Visible focus states
- Appropriate ARIA labeling
- Screen reader compatibility
- Form labels and error messages
AI Visibility is the Next Layer
My AI Visibility Quality Checks Include:
- Schema markup identifying your organization, services, and location
- An llms.txt file pointing AI systems to your most important pages
- Meta descriptions written in clear, first-person language, within character limits
- FAQ schema for common patient questions
- Consistent name, address, and phone information across your site and business profiles
- Content written in plain language AI systems can summarize accurately
What I Promise
Every site I design leaves my hands fully accessible and meets WCAG 2.2 AA. I build AI visibility in from the start: structured data, entity clarity, and architecture that helps AI systems understand your content. I create human-built websites that are ethical, clear, usable, and inclusive. I make every decision to reduce cognitive load, increase trust, and support real people in real moments.
Nothing leaves my desk unless it is clear, accessible, and built to perform for both people and AI systems. It's the PatientForward way.
