Included Health is launching a new AI tool that positions the healthcare startup in direct competition with major technology firms venturing into health services. The company has unveiled an AI-powered personal health assistant, dubbed Dot, which utilizes patients’ medical claims, benefits information, and other relevant data to provide on-demand answers to health-related inquiries.
This development comes as the healthcare AI sector experiences significant activity, with Alphabet’s Verily introducing its own AI-driven application in October. Verily’s app allows patients to link their medical records and engage with a chatbot for health-related questions. Meanwhile, OpenAI is reportedly exploring opportunities in consumer health technology, including the creation of its own personal health assistant.
For over a decade, Included Health has focused on personalizing patient interactions with healthcare services. The startup currently supplies technology to around 300 employers and health plans, aiding patients in navigating their health benefits. CEO Owen Tripp mentioned that the company rigorously tested its AI assistant for about 18 months before launching it across its entire employer network, ensuring the precision necessary for healthcare applications. “This can’t be ChatGPT level of probability. It has to be precise,” he stated.
Tripp expressed optimism regarding patients obtaining general health information from large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude. He noted that these AI tools can assist patients in understanding their conditions and preparing for medical consultations. However, he emphasized that Included Health’s technology offers a deeper level of customization and security. “When it gets down to the business of actually taking care of oneself or taking care of somebody else, you’re going to need a lot of very secure, specific data and a whole context to go solve problems, including the exact medical history of that patient,” he explained.
Operating in the healthcare AI space often involves navigating complex regulatory landscapes, particularly when the technology provides personalized advice that could substitute for licensed clinicians’ work. Tripp expressed skepticism that many large tech companies would engage with these complexities. “I predict, like many before them, they will pull back. It’s just hard, and the juice is often not worth the squeeze for these high-profile companies,” he commented.
Health AI with Humans in the Loop
Dot has become the primary interface for Included Health’s members and serves as the cornerstone for the company’s emerging product lineup, according to COO Nupur Srivastava. During open enrollment, Dot was deployed to assist members with benefits-related inquiries and can also prepare patients for doctor visits by summarizing their past medical experiences in advance.
Included Health continues to employ a significant number of clinicians and care advocates, ensuring that members have access to human support when preferred. Srivastava emphasized the system’s responsiveness in critical situations, noting that if a patient mentions “suicide” in a conversation with Dot, a clinician will make contact within a minute.
In response to inquiries about the ambitions of Big Tech and other AI startups in personalized health AI, Tripp indicated that Included Health is in discussions with multiple potential partners aimed at achieving similar objectives. While he did not disclose specific details about these partnerships, he suggested that some AI companies are seeking to acquire anonymized health data for model training purposes.
“But when it comes to actually delivering patient care, we’re pretty confident that companies that are going to succeed will be the ones that have well-trained physicians licensed in all 50 states, delivering on a real-time platform, across mind, body, and wallet,” Tripp stated.
Included Health had plans to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) in 2022 and had engaged banks for the process. However, as market conditions deteriorated, the company decided to withdraw from planned investor meetings. Tripp noted that while he refrained from discussing specific exit strategies, the company remains profitable, alleviating the immediate need for public fundraising.
Since its formation from the merger of Grand Rounds and Doctor on Demand in 2021, Included Health has not engaged in public fundraising, and the company has not disclosed its valuation. The current environment for healthcare IPOs has proven challenging, with only two digital health companies, Hinge Health and Omada Health, successfully going public this year. Although these companies have performed better than many that went public during the 2021 digital health surge, the landscape remains fraught with high expectations and volatility risks.
“The last few years in our space haven’t been a great commercial for being a public company,” Tripp acknowledged. Nonetheless, he recognizes that the ongoing developments in healthcare AI could present opportunities for Included Health to expand through acquisitions. “I do think this is a time where there are going to be some interesting capabilities and technologies available in the market that allow us to provide even more service to our members,” Tripp concluded, revealing a forward-looking perspective on the potential for future growth.
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