With a $5 million grant from the Gates Foundation, Caption Health is building artificial intelligence-guided software to take precise, real-time photos of the heart, according to a June 9 report by The San Francisco Business Times.
Caption Health, which uses AI to guide clinicians through medical procedures, is working to bundle tech-enabled services for hospitals, said Steve Cashman, the CEO of Caption Health and former chief commercial officer of InTouch Health before it was acquired by Teladoc Health.
Four things to know:
- The $5 million grant will be used to expand Caption Health's AI capabilities, including using AI in lung ultrasounds to detect pneumonia, pleural effusions (the buildup of water between the tissue outside the lung) and other conditions better than X-rays. The kidneys may be where the tech company will focus next.
- Caption Health gained regulatory clearance last year to use its AI software on the heart. The AI software guides operators with little prior scanning experience to perform echocardiograms that currently require trained sonographers. The tool is expected to increase the number of services a hospital can perform and help them make more money, the Business Times said.
- Caption Health is also working to embed technology with telehealth offerings to make ordering images easier.
- "It can't all happen inside a hospital," Mr. Cashman said. "Post-COVID-19, healthcare systems have different challenges, and consumer expectations of where you get care have changed. We'd much rather be pioneering a tech realignment of care and digital engagement.