a16z leads $8.2M round in Scribenote, a medical documentation app for veterinarians

Scribenote records conversations between vets and clients, and uses AI to generate medical records

There's been a lot of talk about burnout among healthcare workers in the last few years, as many of them quit their jobs, and the crisis is no less serious for veterinarians, with 86% reporting severe stress levels, and 61% of veterinarians experiencing exhaustion, compared to 32% of the general population. 

The reason is the same as for doctors who see human patients: paperwork and the hours spent writing medical records, as some veterinarians may see up to 30 patients in a single day.

Scribenote helps alleviate this problem with its AI-powered medical scribe which allows vets to streamline their documentation process by automatically generating accurate records by capturing conversations during appointments.

On Monday, the company, which is currently used by thousands of veterinary professionals, announced an $8.2 million seed funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with additional participation from Inovia Capital, the Velocity Fund, and angel investors. The company had previously raised $250,000 in pre-seed funding.

Scribenote was founded in 2019 after CEO Ryan Gallagher saw that his veterinarian sister was working long overtime hours to keep up with medical documentation. After shadowing her at the clinic, he saw that discussions that occurred during veterinary appointments could be captured in real time to eliminate additional workload.

The Scribenote solution runs in the background to capture audio, allowing veterinarians to start a note on their phone and add to it later from any device logged into their account. The solution uses AI to automatically generate accurate medical records; in addition to medical records and dental charts, various forms of client communication are also automated.

At the end of the day, Scribenote's desktop widget, called "Draggy-Droppy," allows users to copy their completed Scribenote records into any Practice Information Management System.

Scribenote is currently serving hundreds of clinics, both independently owned and through enterprise wide deals, across the U.S. In less than a year, the company has automated over 1.5 million medical records, saving veterinarians up to two hours per day. 

With this new funding, Scribenote says it plans to further develop its AI technology and expand its platform with the aim of creating personalized AI scribes for each veterinarian and build an efficient, intelligent platform for editing and finalizing records. 

"Scribenote is not just about saving time; it's about improving the quality of veterinary care and the lives of those who provide it," Gallagher said in a statement.

"By automating the documentation process, we're enabling veterinarians to focus more on their patients and less on paperwork. 

(Image source: scribenote.com)