Health tech startup Pip Care, which harnesses digital health to help patients through the surgical journey, has raised US$5m to help broaden its reach into the lives of more patients.
The Series A close, led by A1 Health Ventures, follows its award of a US$2.2m grant from the National Institutes of Health to launch a trial of its platform with 2,000 patients.
Pip Care partners with health systems and their surgical specialty teams to help patients through the surgical journey by coupling a smart phone app with a real-life health coach.
Kathy Kaluhiokalani, founder and chief executive officer of Pip Care, said: “This raise reaffirms the work we have done so far and fuels our next phase of growth to ensure we deliver the most impactful, tech-enabled, human-powered medical optimisation platform to health systems, surgical care teams and their patients.”
Pip Care pairs a digital platform providing perioperative and post-operative instructions to patients with one-on-one telehealth coaches.
This includes evidence-based protocol tracking, surgery and surgeon-specific perioperative and post-operative instructions to improve outcomes and reduce complications, and care coordination so patients can achieve their surgical goals.
Citing recent research, Pip Care says that users on average stay in hospital for nearly a day less than their counterparts who don’t use the app; cutting in half their risk of readmission within a week of surgery.
Launched in 2022, the startup was created out of a collaboration between global healthcare venture builder Redesign Health and UPMC Enterprises, the innovation, commercialisation and venture capital arm of UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center).
In preparation for elective surgery, doctors will often recommend patients follow evidence-based protocols – known as ‘prehabilitation‘ – to improve their health.
These can include improving their nutrition, physical conditioning, psychological support and stopping smoking. Pip Care helps patients adhere to these protocols by simplifying the doctor’s presurgical instructions into daily tasks that are easy to understand and complete.
The health coach answers questions and keeps the patient accountable. Pip Care also coaches patients through post-surgical care, such as understanding discharge instructions, wound care and the importance of proper pain management.
