A new technology startup has spun out of Providence’s Digital Innovation Group. On Tuesday, the Renton, Wash.-based health system spun out a platform that aims to build stronger relationships with patients by personalizing their medical journeys and connecting them with relevant resources and services.
The startup, named Praia Health, also announced the closing of a $20 million Series A funding round led by Frist Cressey Ventures. Other participants in the round included SignalFire, Epsilon Health Investors, and Providence Ventures.
Providence began developing the Prior platform approximately two years ago and began implementing the technology within its health system in January 2022, said Prior CEO Justin Dearborn. The platform is designed to improve consumer engagement through the health system’s website and mobile app, as well as enable “true personalization at scale,” Dearborn said. I declared.
Praia’s platform is centered around identity and profile technology. It aims to unify fragmented data sources and point solutions (such as those designed for care navigation, booking, billing, and care delivery) at the consumer level.
Dearborn said one of the most important features of the platform is the fact that it establishes single sign-on for patients. Once a user’s login information is verified on the Praia platform, they can use the same ID whenever they seek care through other apps offered by the health system. This may reduce the burden on patients and further enhance their commitment to treatment.
For Dearborn, Prior’s overall goal is to personalize individuals’ medical journeys and give health systems a more accurate picture of their patients’ health status. He noted that the need to connect the dots in the medical field is increasing as more patients seek treatment at alternative health facilities.
And every patient behaves differently, Dearborn added, which is an important consideration for health system websites and apps to be aware of.
“If you take Amazon as an example, your homepage is different than mine, and your experience is different than mine. It’s similar to what’s happening with Amazon. [Providence’s website] — When you log in, you see what’s relevant to you,” he said.
Praia also ingests patient data to provide customized recommendations, which may or may not be clinical. For example, the platform can encourage patients to get a mammogram or provide information about joining a local fitness center.
The platform, which Praia sells to health systems using a SaaS model, currently supports more than 3.5 million user accounts. That number will further increase in the coming months, Dearborn noted, as an Indiana-based community health network signed on to implement the technology.
As Prayer continues to seek new customers, it will compete with other companies that promise to improve patient engagement, such as League, BeWell, and Clear. Dearborn argued that the depth of its platform and the fact that it is built on healthcare systems differentiates Prior from other companies in the space.
Praia is the fourth technology incubation spun out of Providence’s Digital Innovation Group. His previous three startups are Xealth; Xealth is a startup looking to simplify the integration of digital tools into providers’ workflows. Circle is a women’s health app acquired by Wildflower Health in 2018. DexCare provides a platform designed to help health systems coordinate and manage digital care services.
Photo: Yutthana Gaetgeaw, Getty Images
