Saving Lives With AI: How We Cut ICU Mortality by 40% | Dr. Dhruv Joshi (Cloud Physician)

"The conventional solution to healthcare gaps—building more hospitals and training more doctors—is simply not a viable solution."

This powerful, contrarian view from Dr. Dhruv Joshi forms the basis of his entire mission. He argues that the traditional model of healthcare is too slow and expensive to scale , and the only way to provide quality care to everyone is through technology that acts as a "force multiplier."

Dr. Dhruv Joshi is the Co-founder of Cloud Physician, an AI-powered, full-stack critical care company. A prestigious Cleveland Clinic-trained intensivist , he returned to India to solve the massive shortage of critical care specialists. Today, Cloud Physician has raised over $14.5M in funding and scaled its operations to manage over 2,400 ICU beds across 200+ hospitals , caring for more than 100,000 patients and reducing ICU mortality by up to 40%.

In this conversation with host Akshay Datt, Dr. Joshi reveals the journey of building a life-saving health-tech company from the ground up.

Key Insights from the Conversation:

• Clinician-Led Innovation: The company's most significant advantage is that it was built by deep domain experts who intimately understood the problem before building a solution.
• The Power of a Pragmatic MVP: Cloud Physician’s value was first proven using Google Sheets and off-the-shelf cameras, showing you don’t need a perfect product to get started.
• Technology as a Force Multiplier: The goal isn't to replace scarce specialists but to augment them, allowing one intensivist to manage 60-80 patients instead of the traditional 15.
• A Full-Stack Partnership Model: Cloud Physician doesn't just sell software; it embeds itself as an operational partner that improves both clinical outcomes and financial revenue for hospitals.

Chapters:

[00:00] Intro: Solving India's Critical Care Crisis

[01:54] The Motivation: Why a Top Doctor Left the US for a Bigger Mission in India

[08:05] 18-Month Listening Tour: Finding the Real Problem in Tier-2 & Tier-3 Hospitals

[13:13] The Expertise Gap: What is an "Intensivist" and Why Are They So Scarce?

[18:20] Hacking the MVP: How to Build a Tele-ICU with Google Sheets & Off-the-Shelf Cameras

[25:22] The Vision: Building an AI Co-Pilot to Free Doctors from Repetitive Work

[29:38] Building RADAR: Using Computer Vision to Solve the "Unsolvable" Device Problem

[40:43] More Than Tech: The Critical Role of Change Management and Process in Healthcare

[46:56] The Business Flywheel: Improving Patient Outcomes & Hospital Revenue Simultaneously

[53:58] The Future is a "Virtual Hospital": Cloud Physician's Global Ambition

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