Google Glass for healthcare may be moving from hashtag to reality faster than you think.
A HIT consultant and a software developer quit their jobs on June 14 with no paycheck in sight. On June 20, the team at Pristine had a $100,000 investment from an anesthesiologist to build software for Google Glass.
Kyle Samani and Patrick Kolencherry have decided Google’s device is made for the enterprise, specifically the operating room. Their vision is to have the entire surgery team wearing Glass loaded with their software. Samani is focusing on raising money while Kolencherry is writing software.
The team is building a full suite of apps for surgery, pre and post op. They see two value propositions: patient safety and efficiency. “We will be able to lower costs on both points,” Samani said.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Doctors often work across several ORs. The Pristine software would notify surgeons in real time about a change in a patient’s status, which could save the doctor from scrubbing in and out to go to another ER.
“Operating rooms can run as high as $9,000 per hour or $140 – $150 per minute, so if we save even 5 minutes on surgery, that’s close to $1,000,” Samani said.
Pristine pricing will be based on the number of operating rooms a hospital has. Hospitals will have to buy their own hardware.
Samani said he is expecting to raise a seed round of $400,000 from angel investors. He is planning to raise a Series A round toward the end of the year.
Samani has spent the past 3 years at EHR vendor VersaSuite. For the past year, he was product manager for all clinical applications – inpatient, outpatient, and emergency EHRs, CPOE, pharmacy, lab, radiology, respiratory, case management, ICU, and physical/occupational/speech therapy. Kolencherry is programmer and data scientist who specializes in user experience and data-driven insight. Both men are Google beta developers, which is how they got a Glass unit to work with
Pristine’s advisory team includes ophthalmologist Dr. Michael Gorin, radiologist Dr. Ravi Jhaveri, anesthesiologist Dr. Santi Lardizabal and OB/GYN Dr. Robert Marcus.
The first investor in Pristine is an anesthesiologist who has practicing for 30 years and often tests new tech in operating rooms, Samani said.
“Not that many investors are open to the idea, but guys who pilot are going to want to invest in me,” he said.
Pristine is one of the 24 startups in the CONVERGE Startup Showcase. Get your ticket today to learn more about Google Glass in the OR.
[From flickr user fibonetti]
