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Have you ever needed a copy of your medical imaging to take to your doctor or other healthcare provider and receive the images on a CD? Many radiologists This old format is still used to transfer patients’ imaging files.
A startup company called Pocket health It built a medical image sharing platform to digitize the process for every patient and healthcare provider, making it smarter and more personalized, without the need for CDs. The company, headquartered in Toronto, said Wednesday it has secured $33 million ($45 million CAD) in a Series B funding round.
My PocketHealth journey began with a personal experience nearly a decade ago. Co-founders Rishi Nayar (CEO) and his brother Harsh Nayar (CTO) were inspired to build the platform in 2016 after Harsh suffered a tennis injury. The traditional method of receiving CT scan images on a CD, which he could not view and needed to take with him to any practitioner who needed to see them next, suggested an opportunity to simplify the way hospitals shared medical imaging with patients.
“When we learned that this continues to be common in healthcare settings across North America [in 2014]“We knew we could change that,” Rishi told TechCrunch. “Despite technological advances, access to healthcare data is still hampered by outdated image exchanges, resulting in delays, unnecessary costs, and negative patient experiences.”
For 20 years, outdated image-sharing systems used by health care providers “have devalued patients’ access to their health care data, moving files over a closed network from point A to point B,” Rishi said. PocketHealth wants to change that by giving patients more access, control, and a deeper understanding of their health records.
The eight-year-old company says more than 1.5 million patients across 775 healthcare sites use its platform in North America, and it aims to enable every healthcare provider on the continent to do so with this new funding.
Image credits: Pocket health
PocketHealth began with patients’ digital access to their imaging reports, and has evolved into a layer of understanding that helps solve data portability issues.
The service helps patients understand “what’s going on, shows them what they may have missed, what they can do next, or enables them to easily return to their provider for follow-up care,” Rishi said.
It can also benefit service providers. The company says Valley View Hospital in Colorado, one of its clients, reduced non-labor costs by 95% by stopping burning CDs. Another user, Unity Health in Toronto, was able to close its photography library and save more than $120,000.
PocketHealth isn’t the only company offering medical imaging sharing to patients in the MedTech space. Ambra Healthheadquartered in New York, provides solutions for medical image sharing, and EnvoyAI, based in Massachusetts, is developing the AI market for medical imaging. Old photo sharing providers such as Nuance PowerShare And Changing health care They are his peers.
One thing that sets it apart from legacy photo exchange players, which focused on sharing images from healthcare provider to provider and had limited patient outreach capabilities, is that PocketHealth provides patient-focused access.
When asked about the user data privacy policy, Rishi told TechCrunch: “Patients are the owners of their personal health information (PHI). We permanently store PHI for patients, because they need and want ongoing access.” [to their imaging], but any patient can permanently delete their data from PocketHealth at any time. We do not sell or rent protected health information to any third party.”
Rishi also said about cybersecurity: “In terms of data security, we recognize that we represent important infrastructure for providers and patients, and for this reason, security is a priority for us. It’s not just a fixed investment – it’s an ongoing area of focus. “We rely on bank-grade encryption and maintain compliance with SOC2 Type II, HIPAA, and PHIPA,” Rishi continued. “Data is stored locally and protected from data breaches. We use Microsoft Azure for hosting in both Canada and the US, with ongoing security audits and reassessments. Patients have access to their data and can securely share and revoke access to their images using an access token, so they are in control Who sees what and when.
Round 13 Capital led the Series B funding, bringing the total raised to more than $55.5 million in equity to date, including funding from Deloitte Ventures, Samsung Ventures, and existing backers Questa Capital and Radical Ventures.
PocketHealth plans to use the latest proceeds to enhance its AI technology; doubling its workforce, which now includes 110 employees, over the next two years; Expanding its operations across North America, improving patient care and driving further growth.
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