Intellivisit uses artificial intelligence to help diagnose patients

Busy doctors, long lines and rising health care costs are among reasons it is becoming more challenging to make a visit to a primary care doctor. Intellivisit sees this as a problem and is looking to make a change.  

In 2013, Intellivisit co-founder Jay Mason set out to change the landscape of primary care. His company, which was profiled as part of a new business profile series done this fall by UW-Madison students, is the first “artificial intelligence”-assisted primary care diagnostic application in the United States. 

The application is simple. The app can be accessed from a smartphone, tablet or computer. First, a user describes his or her symptoms through the application. The information is then passed on to a nurse or doctor. Within minutes, the application will send back a diagnosis, treatment plan and prescription – if necessary. 

This “.ai” approach aims to save time and money for both clinicians and patients. Most importantly, Intellivisit allows patients to get the help they need more efficiently. 

Users of the application can expect to pay between $30 and $45 per visit. Visits through the application will take about six minutes and a treatment plan will be delivered within 30 minutes. 

A typical office visit costs around $80 at a traditional clinic and $120 at an urgent care clinic, Mason aid. While customers would be the ones to decide whether – and how much – to charge for a virtual “visit,” the application could save organizations money, he said. 

Users will know exactly what their cost will be before submitting a visit and will only pay if they can be virtually treated. According to Mason, “There is no cost if your nurse or doctor cannot treat you.” 

This technology is beneficial for patients and doctors alike. “Many clinics and medical practices are running at capacity and have limited availability,” Mason said. “By offering a solution such as ours, physicians are able to extend their practices and see greater numbers of people.” 

“There is a growing physician shortage in the United States,” Mason said, “so tools such as this will provide a means to provide more care to more people.” 

With the extra time this application will save doctors, more attention can be focused on community outreach and patients with more serious or chronic conditions says Mason. 

Mason, a serial entrepreneur, has already raised $2.5 million for the company and is seeking capital in order to expand the reach of this technology. Intellivisit is currently offered in the Midwest and hopes to expand nationally. 

“Virtual care is estimated to be a $35 billion market by 2018,” he said, “and it could be the norm for most patients by 2020… Many of the 550 million annual U.S. primary care visits that happen in doctor offices, urgent cares and ERs will be replaced by virtual visits than half the cost as an office appointment.” 

Mason presented for Intellivisit during the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium in mid-November in Madison. 

–By Cam Nankivil
Nankivil is a student in the UW-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication.