Dive Brief:
- TriHealth and other investors have provided startup Augmedix with $17 million to help physicians review patient records using Google Glass computerized eyewear.
- The company says their service can reduce charting time by three hours a day..
- The latest financing will be used to scale the Google Glass-powered service nationwide in health systems and private clinics. A total of $40 million has been raised to date.
Dive Insight:
The Google Glass enables physicians to view medical records without accessing a computer and a medical scribe outside the exam room is able to take notes from the doctor. TriHealth piloted the technology with a few doctors and found it provided access to information quickly. Augmedix says health history, lab orders, prescriptions, and forms can be completed via a remote scribe, verbal notes and commands.
This is yet another venture to scale Google Glass to healthcare professionals. Last year, Medical Express Ambulance Service in Illinois began a pilot program utilizing Google Glass to allow physicians to look at what paramedics are seeing first-hand. Wearable Intelligence raised $8 million in funding in 2014 to develop custom Google Glass software for both the energy and healthcare industries.
Trihealth was one of five healthcare systems nationwide, along with several venture capitalist groups, that contributed to the latest funding round. Augedix has close to 400 employees and says its the first and largest Google Glass startup.
While Google doesn't release its sales numbers, the product hasn't sweeped the markets by storm as first thought. Last year, CNET reported, "The device, with its built-in camera, became a lightning rod for controversy because some people feared their privacy was being violated. Movie theaters, bars and restaurants banned it, and some states debated whether to allow it while driving."
However, Augmedix seems to be betting the device can gain traction in a business environment instead of consumer markets. While it's yet to be seen whether that will pay off, it does show some promise of using technology to help alleviate administrative burdens for physicians.