Dr. Shiv Rao, CEO of Abridge, discusses how AI technology helps streamline medical notes, reduce clinician burnout, and improve patient care. He shares his journey from rebel skater to healthcare innovator, highlighting the importance of AI in transforming the healthcare industry.
Abridge uses AI to streamline clinical notes, reducing physician burnout and improving note quality.
Shiv Rao's journey from skateboard rebel to CEO highlights the impact of scalable healthcare innovations.
Abridge focuses on clinician-AI collaboration, emphasizing the importance of leveraging advanced technology for healthcare transformations.
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Start of Abridge Journey with Dr. Shiv Rao
Dr. Shiv Rao, CEO of Abridge, founded the company in 2018 after a successful career at UPMC Enterprises. His experience in managing technology investments in healthcare systems and academic background in computer science and medicine laid the foundation for Abridge's inception. The company focuses on unburdening clinicians by summarizing medical conversations into structured data to alleviate clerical work pressures.
Leaping Into Entrepreneurship with AI in Healthcare
Dr. Shiv Rao's entrepreneurial journey started with a realization in late 2017 that conversations in healthcare hold a wealth of untapped value. This insight led to the founding of Abridge, aiming to transform healthcare documentation by bridging the gap between professionals and patients through structured data summaries. The company's focus on leveraging advanced AI technologies to empower clinicians highlighted the impact of focusing on core healthcare communication.
Challenges and Triumphs of AI Innovation in Healthcare
Abridge navigated the landscape of AI innovation in the healthcare sector, overcoming challenges related to AI application in clinical practice and operational workflows. Dr. Shiv Rao emphasized the need for rigorous safety regulations and validation processes in deploying AI solutions for clinical decision support. The company's mission to deliver impactful healthcare solutions drew inspiration from real patient stories and meaningful interactions in clinical settings.
Future Vision of AI-Driven Healthcare Impact
Abridge envisions a future where AI-driven innovations revolutionize healthcare delivery models, enabling scalable clinical AI applications. Dr. Shiv Rao highlighted the potential for AI to enhance doctor-patient interactions, improve patient outcomes, and streamline operational efficiencies. The company's commitment to multilingual capabilities and patient-centered care underscores its dedication to advancing healthcare through innovative AI technologies.
Clinical notes are one of the more tedious parts of doctors’ day-to-day lives—so much so that they’re often called “pajama time,” since physicians spend 2-3 hours writing them at night. In this episode, Steve Kraus sits down with Dr. Shiv Rao, co-founder and CEO of Abridge, an AI-first healthcare company that’s been in the spotlight for solving this problem. Abridge uses advanced machine learning to structure and summarize medical conversations, creating clinical documentation and structured data while reducing clinician burnout.
Shiv traces his journey from a skateboarding rebel to a cardiologist, professor, healthcare investor, and now founder of a pioneering digital health startup. He shares how his passion for scalable impact and exposure to cutting-edge research at Carnegie Mellon led him to start Abridge in 2018.
Steve and Shiv discuss:
How Abridge differentiated itself early on through AI technology and go-to-market (GTM) strategy
The company’s ROI and anti-burnout metrics, like note quality, pajama time, and cognitive load
Clinician-AI collaboration vs. direct-to-consumer applications
The surprising parallels between managing an ICU and running a startup
The habits and mindsets that keep Shiv grounded while leading a fast-growing, mission-driven company
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