A new startup, Notable, officially launched earlier this week at HLTH in Las Vegas. The San Mateo, California company offers a wearable voice-powered assistant aimed at helping doctors capture data during interactions with patients.
During an interview at HLTH, Notable CEO Pranay Kapadia explained the idea for the company was born when his wife, a physician, came home and said she hated her job because of the administrative tasks involved. Numerous other doctors in his family also disliked the amount of time they spent on documentation and called themselves “click monkeys,” he said.
Kapadia wanted to change that. He and his team began testing different possible prototypes that could serve as an assistant to doctors. After trying phones, Amazon Alexas and Google Homes, they eventually settled on the wearable as the best interface.
Notable’s technology is an app built for the Apple Watch. A physician can simply speak during the patient encounter, and the app records it. The microphone captures information even if the doctor’s wrist is down at his or her side. It can track dictations and orders, as well as recommend the appropriate billing codes.
The HIPAA-compliant tool integrates with the EHR, and data from the patient encounter is entered into the electronic medical record system.
As is expected with technologies, sometimes Notable doesn’t exactly capture what the doctor says. I saw this in action when Kapadia gave me a demo at HLTH. When this happens, the words “I didn’t get that” and a shrugging emoji will show up on the app.
In addition to giving doctors more time to spend directly working with patients, one of the startup’s goals is to improve the data that’s captured. Though health records today are “garbage in, garbage out,” Notable wants to ensure the information it collects and brings to the table is useful to stakeholders down the road, Kapadia noted.
Since Notable is configured for a wearable device, it can also collect information on the physician, including his or her heart rate.
Ultimately, prosperity for the organization ties back to the impetus behind the original idea. “Success is about making sure physicians, my family included, can come home happy,” Kapadia said.
When asked about the company’s business model, Kapadia said Notable is “currently selling directly to providers” and that the startup is “very interested in the payer-provider model.”
Notable allows networks and groups to white label its technology to fit their specific needs.
Thus far, the California startup has closed a $3 million round of seed funding, which was led by Greylock Partners. 8VC and Maverick Ventures also participated.
Photo: fandijki, Getty Images
*Update/editor’s note: The fairly noisy conference environment likely contributed to why the Notable app didn’t capture exactly what Kapadia said when I received a demo at HLTH.