What You Should Know:
– Counsel Health today announced the launch of its next-generation AI care platform, built to serve as the responsible front door to healthcare.
– Backed by a $25M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and GV. Counsel combines the immediacy of AI with the oversight of licensed physicians to deliver care that is faster, safer, and more cost-effective at scale. This follows the company’s $11M Seed raise, led by a16z in October 2024, underscoring the need for a healthcare experience that combines medical AI with in-house doctors.
AI-Driven, Physician-Supervised Virtual Care
Counsel Health is pioneering a new model of AI-enabled virtual care, serving as the modern “MD + AI front door” for payers, employers, and health systems. Combining the immediacy of medical AI with the oversight of in-house physicians, Counsel delivers safe, evidence-based care that resolves nearly all member concerns within minutes. This clinically responsible approach replaces outdated access points like nurse triage lines and conventional telehealth, enabling payers to cut high-cost claims, maximize the value of existing benefits, and engage members more effectively in the AI era.
Traditional access models fall short—nurse lines depend on rigid scripts that lead to unnecessary escalation, telehealth is often slow and impersonal, and unsupervised AI chatbots present safety and liability risks. Counsel was designed to overcome these limitations while maintaining full compliance with payer and employer governance standards.
Members can communicate via chat or voice messaging to receive instant, context-aware answers to any health concern. Counsel’s physicians seamlessly step in for diagnosis, prescriptions, or referrals and provide ongoing follow-up until the issue is resolved.
“The U.S. healthcare system is at a breaking point, strained by rising costs, limited access, and a shortage of clinicians,” said Julie Yoo, General Partner at a16z. “Counsel is reimagining care delivery for an AI-native world—scalable, evidence-based, and accessible. We’re proud to support a team that merges deep clinical expertise with cutting-edge AI to set a new standard for care.”
Counsel’s model integrates medical AI with a physician-led group licensed in all 50 states. The AI leverages clinical guidelines and patient records and is trained to escalate cases requiring human oversight. This framework achieves a 96% issue-resolution rate, two-minute physician response times, and an average of $381 in annual savings per engaged member.
Its impact extends to safety and quality: in one notable case, a member with abdominal pain and alarming lab results was headed toward hospitalization for liver failure. Counsel’s timely triage directed care to the appropriate setting, preventing a severe admission.
Expansion Plans
The newly announced funding will fuel the expansion of Counsel’s physician network, further AI advancements, and enterprise partnerships with payers, employers, and provider groups. Already serving over 100,000 members nationwide, Counsel is poised to reach millions more in the coming year.
