PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hippocratic AI today announced the inauguration of beta testing of the world’s first generative AI powered healthcare provider built on the company’s safety-focused Large Language Model (LLM) for healthcare, with an initial emphasis on voice-based, patient-facing, non-diagnostic applications. More than 40 provider groups, health systems, and digital health companies, including Memorial Hermann Health System, University of Vermont Health Network, Fraser Health, and Side Health are instituting a rigorous internal testing process to ensure that the products are safe and effective prior to their general availability.

Hippocratic AI is building the industry’s first safety-focused LLM designed specifically for healthcare. Already, the company’s LLM has outperformed GPT-4 on over 100 healthcare certifications, thanks to its training on healthcare-specific vocabulary and prioritization of reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF) via healthcare professionals.

“Generative AI holds huge potential for improving healthcare access, equity, and outcomes but its impact has thus far been limited to back-office applications. At Hippocratic AI, we believe that the industry can—and should—aim higher,” said Munjal Shah, co-founder and CEO of Hippocratic AI. “We’re on a mission to not only address existing staffing shortages, but go above and beyond to unlock an age of true healthcare abundance. Imagine a world in which each one of us has unlimited access to safe, high-quality, personalized care. Our partners will be invaluable in bringing this vision to life as they test the technology internally and ensure its safety.”

Beta testing partners have determined several priority expert workflow areas for initial evaluation, with a goal of ensuring accuracy and safety. These include chronic care management, and post-discharge follow-up for specific conditions such as congestive heart failure and kidney disease, as well as wellness and social determinants of health surveys, health risk assessments, and pre-operative outreach. Together with its partners, Hippocratic AI will continue to add conditions as well as develop additional products and workflows over time.

“We believe this technology can help with workforce shortages by taking on some of the more basic tasks to support workflow. For example, calling a patient to provide pre-operative instructions or following a procedure for post-discharge checkups,” said Feby Abraham, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief strategy and innovations officer for Memorial Hermann. “We are always looking for new ways to further engage our employees and make them feel better supported. The unique challenges of recent years have only heightened the need for innovation in this area.”

Physicians, nurses, and other key frontline healthcare professionals will lead the internal testing processes at each partner health system or company. Evaluations will be based on a review of conversational ability, medical accuracy, script adherence, empathy, and listening skills. Testing partners will be able to see how each of the products performs across all participants, the number of evaluation hours per product, any specific issues being addressed through evaluations as well as the resolution of submitted feedback.

This beta testing is the latest iteration of Hippocratic AI’s focus on industry collaboration and follows the formation of the company’s Founding Partners, Early Access Partners, Physician Advisory Council, and Nurse Advisory Council. These innovative and distinguished providers will also be provided access to initial products and workflows for internal testing to help shape the development of Hippocratic AI’s LLM and ensure that it is as safe and effective as possible.

“We are excited to partner with Hippocratic AI in this beta testing phase. While our patients will not experience the technology yet, our clinical staff will have the opportunity to learn about generative AI and the possibilities it offers for improving care, while helping to make the tool effective, efficient and safe for patients nationwide,” said Jessica Moschella, Senior VP for High Value Care at The University of Vermont Health Network. “We are especially proud to participate as a rural health care provider – often, innovations are developed in urban centers and later retrofitted to make do in rural areas. Being involved in this phase allows us the opportunity to lead the way for rural health care by aiding in the development of new technology that will support our patients’ unique needs and reduce health disparities.”

"At Side Health, we've learned that patient engagement and education are key to driving better health outcomes,” said Dr. Kanwar Kelley, CEO and Co-Founder of Side Health. “Generative AI presents an opportunity to engage all our patients at an unprecedented scale, supporting them in between their provider visits with more frequent outreach and education, and increasing our ability to help them manage their chronic conditions through our remote monitoring and clinical services. We’re excited to partner with Hippocratic AI to conduct internal testing to ensure the safety and efficacy of the AI tools they’re building.”

About Hippocratic AI
Hippocratic AI’s mission is to develop the safest artificial Health General Intelligence (HGI). The company believes that safe HGI can dramatically improve healthcare accessibility and health outcomes in the world by bringing deep healthcare expertise to every human. No other technology has the potential to have this level of global impact on health. The company was co-founded by CEO Munjal Shah, alongside a group of physicians, hospital administrators, Medicare professionals, and artificial intelligence researchers from El Camino Health, Johns Hopkins, Washington University in St. Louis, Stanford, Google, and Nvidia. Hippocratic AI is backed by two of the pioneering healthcare investors in Silicon Valley—General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz—and has received a total of $67M in funding. For more information on Hippocratic AI’s performance on 100+ Medical and Compliance Certifications, go to www.HippocraticAI.com.

About Memorial Hermann
Charting a better future. A future that's built upon the HEALTH of our community. This is the driving force for Memorial Hermann, redefining health care for the individuals and many diverse populations we serve. Our more than 6,500 active medical staff and 33,000 employees practice the highest standards of safe, evidence-based, quality care to provide a personalized and outcome-oriented experience across more than 250 care delivery sites. As one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in Southeast Texas, Memorial Hermann has an award-winning and nationally acclaimed Accountable Care Organization, 17* hospitals and numerous specialty programs and services conveniently located throughout the Greater Houston area. Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center is one of the nation's busiest Level I trauma centers and serves as the primary teaching hospital for McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. For more than 116 years, our focus has been the best interest of our community, contributing nearly $500 million annually through school-based health centers and other community benefit programs. Now and for generations to come, the health of our community will be at the center of what we do – charting a better future for all.

*Memorial Hermann Health System owns and operates 14 hospitals and has joint ventures with three other hospital facilities, including Memorial Hermann Surgical Hospital First Colony, Memorial Hermann Surgical Hospital Kingwood and Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital-Katy.

About the University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is an integrated system serving the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives. The partners are: The University of Vermont Medical Center, The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group, The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center, The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center, The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital, The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center, The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice. Our 15,000 employees are driven to provide high-quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to the University of Vermont, each of our affiliates remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.

About Side Health
Side Health delivers virtual care to patients with chronic medical conditions, using best-in-class technology and a fully integrated team of providers and care managers. Side Health partners directly with health systems, provider groups, and payers to power their virtual clinics.

Contact
press@hippocraticAI.com