98point6, a Seatle-based digital health startup focused on reimaging primary care today announced it has raised $50 million in Series C funding led by Merchant Banking Division of Goldman Sachs and existing investors. Founded in 2015, the on-demand primary care platform combines innovative AI technology with board-certified physicians to deliver affordable and high-quality care right to a patient’s smartphone.
The funding will enable 98point6 to scale and fulfill the strong commercial demand of its text-based primary care service, grow its product and physician teams, expand the capabilities of the platform and continue to build its channels. That latest round brings the total amount raised to $86.1 million since the company’s inception in 2015.
Re-Imaging Primary Care
Primary care is a necessity for all, serving as the front line for healthcare and disease prevention. However, seeing a doctor is increasingly difficult with an average wait time of 24 days just for an appointment. To provide patients with primary care anytime and anywhere, 98point6 leverages machine learning and automation, helping doctors optimize and complete tasks that don’t require direct physician interaction. Rather than having doctors ask administrative questions, gather patient history or chart information, 98point6’s AI technology does it for them. Patient profiles are automatically built and the 98point6 system learns from each visit, avoiding redundancy.
From there, 98point6 board-certified physicians take over and engage with the patient via private and secure in-app messaging to diagnose, treat and answer any health-related questions, no matter how large, small or embarrassing. Patients will then receive a personalized care plan detailing their diagnosis and treatment, including prescriptions and labs as needed.
Benefits for Employers
For employers, 98point6 increases primary care utilization among those not actively or appropriately engaged in their healthcare. Employees can now access primary care in between meetings, during their commute or while getting ready in the morning. Similar to the consumer pricing model, 98point6 offers a low subscription fee for employers, resulting in little to no cost for employees while enabling earlier medical intervention and reducing the overall cost of care.
98point6 is now available in 40 states and Washington, D.C. (reaching 92 percent of the U.S. adult population), the service is slated to be available in all 50 states by early 2019.
98point6 is currently available on the Apple App Store, Google Play.
