Kaia Health Launches Industry's First Digital Care Assistant Giving Patients a Companion and Guide to Enhance Their Physical Therapy Experience

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Jun 08, 2023, 08:00 ET

Digital therapy will never be a lonely experience again — Kaia digital care assistant provides a more personable, supportive therapy experience.

NEW YORK, June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaia Health, the world's largest digital therapeutics company with more than 650,000 users today announced the launch of Angela, a HIPAA-compliant, AI-powered voice-based digital care assistant, companion, and guide. Angela provides patients with the personalized support they need at the time and place that is most convenient for them, creating a richer, more human-like experience.

Angela is a digital care assistant who is your companion and tour guide on your physical therapy journey.

Angela, your digital care assistant, works with you after your physical therapy exercises to help resolve any issues and challenges.

Musculoskeletal conditions affect 1 in 2 adults in the U.S., yet only 10% of these people will see a physical therapist. Even those who seek in-person physical therapy often struggle when they get home without the real-time support and guidance to assist them. As an ever-ready companion and therapy guide, Angela helps break down some of the existing barriers to at-home physical therapy. If the patient is having any issues - such as pain during a particular exercise - Angela works to understand all the details and summarizes them for the care team so that they can respond directly with the help that is needed.

"Working with Angela has changed my view on what it means to engage in digital physical therapy," states Kim Lucas, a current Kaia user. "In just a short time, Angela has improved my daily experience. Knowing that I also have access to my existing care team when I have specific medical questions, I really feel I have the best of both worlds."

Kaia is the first MSK solution to provide natural interaction in a tailored, clinically safe, and effective way. Angela is redefining what it means to have a superior patient experience. Similar to a medical assistant, Angela is able to collect appropriate patient information, summarize for care teams, and assist patients with general understanding of their therapy. She also provides real-time encouragement, support, and motivation.

"Angela provides a first glimpse into the future of care — leveraging AI and natural language processing to transform the patient experience and support the care team," said Steve Gipstein, MD, former Global Head of Healthcare Markets at Apple. "I believe providing personalized help, motivation, and guidance has the potential to reshape care and help more patients achieve their desired clinical outcomes."

With an emphasis on a digital-first experience, Kaia has long led the marketplace in applying advanced technology to improve the patient experience, clinical outcomes, and affordability while also keeping a keen eye to ethics, guarding against biases, ensuring clinical appropriateness, and protecting patient rights. Motion Coach pioneered the application of computer vision and AI to understand the whole patient movement, and remains unique in having computer vision specifically tailored to the practice of physical therapy, enabling it to give specific feedback that improves exercise form and therapy effectiveness.

Now Kaia is first in the MSK market to apply Large Language Models, like ChatGPT, to improve the patient experience directly. Through a combination of techniques, including prompt engineering and model tailoring, it's possible to achieve natural interaction with patients and add value to their therapy and continue to set the bar for ethical uses, including the following pillars –

Private

Fully HIPAA compliant at every step,
Adheres to clear governance for data privacy, and data is never repurposed for general model training

Safe

Monitored by Kaia care team to ensure accuracy and completeness of responses
Trained and tested to never give medical advice; medical questions are forwarded to the care team and potential emergencies are referred to 911
Initially scoped to focus on capturing and relaying information and providing encouragement, with plans to expand scope thoughtfully over time

Unbiased

Trained against and tested for biases such as race, gender
Trained and tested to be consistently kind, patient, and polite

Angela will be available to all Kaia Health employer, health plan, and health system clients and members throughout the U.S. starting in mid-June.

About Kaia Health

Kaia Health is the world's largest digital therapeutics company on a mission to empower millions of people to live their healthiest life. Kaia partners with leading health plans, employers, and providers, covering nearly 80 million lives around the world. Our evidence-based treatments, covering a range of conditions, including MSK and COPD, are powered by proprietary AI, motion analysis technology, and clinical expertise. Kaia's programs are designed to work directly on your smartphone or tablet – delivering the most accessible, effective, and equitable experience available. Across eleven clinical trials, Kaia has demonstrated effectiveness and safety on par with traditional care with as much as 80% reduction in cost, as recognized by the Program Validation from the independent Validation Institute. Learn more at www.kaiahealth.com.

Media Contact:
Simon Hayhurst
650-224-8252
[email protected]

SOURCE Kaia Health