| Abridge AI, most known for its ambient AI scribe platform for doctors, continues to expand its ambitions. In announcing a series of new partnerships — including with Eli Lilly and Nvidia — the company is working to expand into nearly every corner of the health care industry. Why it matters: The moves represent a broader shift underway in health care AI, with the partnerships suggesting that Abridge sees the ability to use doctor-patient conversations to influence what happens before, during and after a visit. Shiv Rao, CEO and co-founder of Abridge, said during the announcement Thursday that the partnerships represented a “new chapter.” Early adoption of the technology focused on reducing burnout among doctors by automating clinical notetaking and administrative tasks. Increasingly, however, companies are looking to use those same conversations to support treatment and diagnosis decisions, the handling of prior authorization requests, and improving care coordination among providers. “By grounding AI in the clinical conversation, Abridge can free clinicians to focus more on the practice of medicine and less on the process, help health systems improve care delivery, align payment with the care actually delivered, and connect patients to evidence and resources that can improve outcomes,” said Rao, who is also a practicing cardiologist, in a statement. → The company has previously said it wants to expand its capabilities throughout the health care system “while staying anchored to the needs of clinicians.” If this expansion pans out, it could put companies such as Abridge at the center of some of the health care industry’s most consequential interactions. NEW PARTNERSHIPS INCLUDE - Abridge said it is collaborating with chipmaker Nvidia to develop a health care-focused AI model that can power more advanced clinical documentation and decision-support tools. The model is meant to give “Abridge the foundation to break new ground across the entire health care ecosystem,” said Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health care, in a statement.
- Eli Lilly is making a “strategic investment” in Abridge (for an undisclosed amount) and partnering with the company to help surface clinical trial opportunities during an office visit — while discussing the ailment the patient is facing. Abridge describes the effort as a way to connect eligible patients with research studies “at the moment it matters most,” potentially reducing a key barrier to trial enrollment.
- Abridge and the American Heart Association want to use AI-recorded doctor–patient conversations to figure out how heart disease is actually being treated in real clinics across the country. Then, they can compare the findings to what medical guidelines say should be happening.
“When the latest evidence is available at the point of care, or at the point of need, it can save time, reduce variability, and support better outcomes for patients,” said Mariell Jessup, the American Heart Association’s chief science and medical officer, in a statement. Abridge has raised $830 million since its 2018 founding, making it one of the most well-funded health tech start-ups in the United States. The company is valued at $5.8 billion, according to Forbes. - More than 270 of the largest health care systems in the United States use Abridge, including Duke Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine and Sutter Health.
- It’s also being used in dozens more community health centers and specialty hospitals, with the company estimating that its platform will support more than 100 million patient conversations this year.
→ Abridge has been working to expand its reach into the health care system: - Last year, it announced it was working with Highmark Health, an organization that has an insurance arm, known as Highmark.
- In January, Abridge announced a partnership with Availity, the nation’s largest health information network, to help speed real-time prior authorization prompts and approvals.
- On Thursday, Abridge announced that Northwestern Medicine, a Chicago-based academic health system, will be using its platform across all of its hospitals and care settings.
The expansion that explores partnerships with larger AI and chip companies, drugmakers, and insurers makes sense in an increasingly crowded market. There are a number of well-funded companies that specialize in AI-driven clinical documentation, but more blue-chip firms — including Microsoft, Epic Systems and Oracle Health — have also moved to get in on the action. → Abridge has also been expanding its footprint in Washington advocacy. I reported last fall when the company hired its first lobbying firm, Holland & Knight, to work on issues including Medicare and Medicaid coverage of AI-assisted clinical notetaking, as well as issues related to data privacy and oversight. Abridge then added its second lobbying firm, Invariant, in March, and disclosures show advocates have been talking with the Pentagon and Defense Department about using AI-driven tech to prevent physician burnout. 9 percent That’s how much health plans are projecting medical costs to increase next year, according to a new report from professional services firm PwC. It mirrors the expected 2026 increase, which was the highest annual jump in about 15 years. → It’s also the fifth consecutive year that costs are expected to grow. Connecting the dots: Some of the cost increases are being driven by the use of ambient AI documentation technology, the report says. → Other factors include consolidation among providers, an increase in people seeking mental health treatment and the surprise billing law’s arbitration process that often favors providers. |
