Combined AI chatbot, telehealth app earns $25M investment

A healthcare AI startup that combined chatbots with real medical consults has garnered the attention of venture capitalists, earning the company $25 million in Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz.

Counsel Health—the brainchild of CEO and Founder Muthu Alagappan, MD, who worked as an attending physician at multiple major hospitals—was founded in 2023, with the goal of using artificial intelligence to support the acute and urgent care needs of patients. But the website and app are more than a healthcare-dedicated ChatGPT; by design, users can bring human physicians into a conversation through an onboard telehealth interface. 

This allows a doctor to double-check information and offer their own medical expertise, just like any televisit, without the user needing to schedule an appointment. 

Currently, Counsel Health says it serves more than 100,000 patients nationwide, most of whom use the program as part of their medical coverage. However, they’ve recently opened up the service to anyone, at $29 for 7-day access that includes physician services. 

The chatbot, without the benefit of assistance, can be used for free. 

In speaking to the Wall Street Journal, the company said it plans to use its influx of money from investors to hire more doctors, as it looks to expand beyond urgent care into an application that can help patients manage chronic illnesses, such as diabetes. 

Counsel Health maintains patient records, as it is technically a medical provider group with licensed providers in all 50 states. Through the platform, doctors can renew prescriptions and schedule referrals for in-person care, should a patient require additional treatment. 

The company said its technology will, hopefully, alleviate the nationwide physician shortage, which is projected to get much worse over the next decade. 

For more, read the full coverage from the Wall Street Journal at the link below.