Interview with Chakri Toleti from care.io

Can you tell us about your role as the founder and CEO of care.ai? What inspired you to start this HealthTech company?

In 2018, I received a transformative phone call informing me that my mother had suffered a fall in a hospital on the other side of the world. She was in India, lying on the floor for thirty minutes before her caregiver discovered her. This incident highlighted a crucial realization: even the most skilled medical professionals can’t constantly monitor everything in a care setting, and delays in patient response can gravely impact health and safety. Motivated by this experience and my expertise in health technology, care.ai was founded. We firmly believe in prioritizing patient safety while ensuring their independence and privacy. Inspired by the use of ambient sensor technology in Tesla vehicles and smart homes, I was driven to investigate its potential in hospitals. Ambient sensors have revolutionized nearly every industry, and it was time to explore their impact on healthcare. In a Smart Care Facility, bedside clinicians, virtual healthcare providers, and technicians unite through real-time ambient data, fostering quicker responses. Our Smart Care Facility Platform harnesses AI to monitor ambient, clinical, and operational information. This advanced system guides Smart Care Teams towards proactive, timely care, preempting adverse events. It alleviates administrative burdens from clinicians, freeing them for more compassionate, human-centric care.

Considering your diverse roles, is there a common thread or passion that connects your work at care.ai, Mahathi Software Pvt Ltd., and HealthGrid?

I come from a unique background, deeply rooted in healthcare. My family is filled with physicians, and my daughter aspires to join the profession, making healthcare a personal and familiar field for me. My true passion lies in exploring how technology can revolutionize and propel industries forward. My journey began in filmmaking, where I established early motion capture systems for Disney. This involved using sensors to capture actors’ performances for animated movies. Later, I ventured into healthcare IT as an entrepreneur, focusing on transforming patient engagement through my three previous companies. Now, at care.ai, I am pioneering the use of ambient sensors—a technology that has revolutionized almost every other industry—in creating the world’s first and most sophisticated Smart Care Facility Platform.

How does care.ai collaborate with healthcare providers and organizations to implement the Smart Care Facility Platform? Can you provide specific examples of partnerships or collaborations?

Our platform is currently operational in over 1,500 care facilities across the United States. Recently, we expanded our reach by signing a deal with Emirates Health Services, which will see our technology deployed throughout the United Arab Emirates. Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is utilizing the care.ai platform for its cardiac and transplant patients. They have announced intentions to extend this technology to the entire hospital within the next 6 to 12 months. At VUMC, care.ai is reimagining various processes, including virtual admissions and discharges, as well as leading the category with AI-assisted virtual nursing capabilities. We recently announced a partnership with Google Cloud at HLTH. This collaboration involves integrating Google Cloud’s generative AI tools, including PaLM 2 on Vertex AI, as well as data analytics products BigQuery and Looker, into our software. These technologies will be utilized within the care.ai Smart Care Facility Platform to alleviate administrative workloads, address staffing shortages, and offer critical insights. At care.ai, we are dedicated to forging partnerships that unite the most innovative forces in healthcare and technology.

Can you share any success stories or case studies where care.ai has significantly
improved patient care and safety?

care.ai is at the forefront of ushering in the new era of “Smart Hospitals.” Our platform enables Smart Care Teams to operate at their full potential, dedicating more time to compassionate patient care while addressing major challenges in today’s healthcare system. In November 2022, Houston Methodist implemented care.ai and integrated our ambient monitoring support into their operational workflows via the IDA Command Center. They have reported significant efficiency gains. According to Houston Methodist, care.ai provides clinicians an extra 25 to 30 minutes per day, enhancing personalized patient care. This efficiency stems from virtual nurses managing admission and discharge processes on our platform, allowing bedside clinicians to concentrate on their patients. Moreover, our virtual nursing capabilities have profoundly altered staffing dynamics. Prior to using care.ai, Houston Methodist relied on approximately 200 travel nurses. After implementation, this requirement was completely eliminated. The introduction of onsite virtual nurses has streamlined operations and reduced staff turnover rates to pre-pandemic levels. This success story underscores our commitment to using technology to improve patient care and streamline healthcare workflows. Our partnership with Houston Methodist is just one example of the positive impact our platform can have on healthcare organizations globally.

How does care.ai leverage AI technology to enhance clinical and operational workflows in care facilities?

care.ai is leading the way in creating a new era of Smart Hospitals and Smart Care Teams that are well-informed, efficient, interconnected, and economically sustainable, all while enhancing both clinician and patient experiences. Our platform is revolutionizing the healthcare industry with specialized ambient sensors and advanced generative AI. Our Ambient Intelligent Sensors are designed to optimize clinical workflows and processes in healthcare settings. This optimization improves efficiency, safety and prioritizes patient care and timely intervention, all with a personal touch. Our technology not only enhances patient safety but also addresses critical issues like staff burnout and shortages. With care.ai’s virtual nursing capabilities, hospitals and care facilities can scale and streamline operations, thereby freeing up clinicians to focus on specialized bedside care.

What sets care.ai apart from other HealthTech companies in the market?

care.ai is introducing the world’s first and most advanced Smart Care Facility Platform to healthcare systems globally. Utilizing our AI and Ambient Intelligence technologies, we aim to catalyze the much-needed transformation in healthcare during this critical period. Our vision is to empower a new generation of Smart Care Teams that are better informed, more efficient, more connected, and economically sustainable, all while enhancing the experiences of clinicians and patients. We are committed to driving broader change and making these groundbreaking technologies accessible to everyone in today’s challenging healthcare environment. Our platform offers a range of applications, including virtual nursing, falls prevention, automated regulatory compliance reporting, voice-driven clinical documentation, and safety measures for staff and patients, all delivered through our Always-Aware Sensors that create an enterprise-wide neural network. By eliminating numerous manual tasks and replacing fragmented, legacy technologies, care.ai is streamlining caregiver and patient experiences. This strategic shift towards a unified, technologically advanced system is designed to predict and prevent problems before they escalate, enabling early interventions and improved patient outcomes. The effectiveness of care.ai’s platform is highlighted in a recent KLAS Report, showing that 100% of our clients have incorporated our platform into their long-term strategies, with the same percentage planning to repurchase. This strong endorsement underscores the significant benefits and transformative impact our platform offers to healthcare systems.

As a founder and leader, how do you foster innovation within your teams, and what role does leadership play in driving success in the healthcare and software domains?

At care.ai, innovation is more than a concept; it’s a core ethos that infuses every aspect of our culture and solutions. Our primary goal is to develop an ambiently aware artificial intelligence system dedicated to supporting care teams and patients every hour of every day. Our approach is characterized by intensive R&D, agile AI and Ambient sensor engineering, and a steadfast dedication to continuous collaboration and learning. This ensures the ongoing evolution of our AI solutions and keeps our culture vibrant with innovative thinkers aligned with our mission and values. Our unique blend of technical and medical expertise enables us to constantly create solutions that address current challenges in healthcare. Learning from both successes and failures in various industries, we rapidly iterate AI models, reducing time-to-market for our innovative solutions in the complex healthcare landscape. Our team and partners are essential in ensuring our solutions are not only technologically advanced but also contextually relevant to the realities of healthcare service delivery. They play a key role in transforming facilities into Smart Care Facilities.

How does care.ai ensure data privacy and security in its AI-powered environment?

At care.ai, we place utmost importance on data privacy and security. Our team is committed to implementing rigorous security measures and adhering to industry best practices, including those related to HIPAA. Our AI-assisted platform is designed to enable health systems to embark on a transformative journey, enhancing care quality, optimizing business operations, and boosting staff productivity. While the healthcare industry’s leaders are enthusiastic about adopting Artificial Intelligence and innovative IoT devices, maintaining stringent security and privacy standards is essential. care.ai is acutely aware of the importance of robust security measures, especially given our responsibility for thousands of active sensors across various environments, all operating under strict data sensitivity and confidentiality protocols. We take our commitment to security extremely seriously at care.ai, allocating significant resources to integrate critical security features throughout our platform. This proactive stance has resulted in our achieving SOC 2 Type 2 certification alongside HIPAA compliance. Ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our clients’ data is our highest priority. Our goal is to offer a secure, scalable, and reliable solution that not only meets but surpasses our clients’ expectations.

What insights or recommendations do you have for the future development and
integration of AI technology in the health tech industry, based on your experiences and leadership at care.ai?

Numerous sectors, including automotive and manufacturing, have greatly benefited from artificial intelligence. However, the healthcare industry has been slower in adopting these technologies. I believe we are now entering an era where the integration of automation, generative AI, and ambient sensors are crucial for delivering compassionate, human-centric care. Facing challenges like rising costs, workforce shortages, and declining reimbursements, AI technology has become indispensable in supporting clinicians. It enables virtual workflows that can transform healthcare delivery. AI is not about replacing clinicians; rather, it empowers those who embrace it to operate at their full potential, providing superior care. Those who hesitate to adopt AI technology risk falling behind in this rapidly evolving landscape.