AI scribe giant Abridge touts Pittsburgh roots
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
One of the biggest names in health care AI is growing fast, and its founder says it's thanks in large part to Pittsburgh.
Why it matters: AI scribes — tools that transcribe and analyze nurses' and doctors' spoken notes — could move the health care industry into a more efficient and worker-friendly future.
Driving the news: Abridge, which has a reported valuation of $2.75 billion, announced a $250 million venture capital investment last month at the digital health conference ViVE in Nashville.
Between the lines: Abridge founder Shiv Rao, a Fox Chapel native, said the company's success is linked back to his experience as a cardiologist at UPMC and his education at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Those institutions are on the cutting edge of health research and AI, he said.
- "Coming from Pittsburgh, it informed our level of sophistication," he said of the AI scribe. "We also have an amazing pipeline of talent here that will join us at Abridge."
- "Pittsburgh is a part of our founding DNA," he said.
What they're saying: "The poster child for clinical AI tools is clearly ambient AI for outpatient offices, as it likely helps efficiency a little bit, although not as much as initially expected," telehealth platform KeyCare CEO Lyle Berkowitz told Axios.
- Rao said Abridge helps address staff shortages by freeing up hours that doctors and nurses would normally spend on paperwork.
Case in point: UPMC, Pittsburgh's largest health care provider, and doctors at Allegheny Health Network use the AI scribe, said Rao.
The intrigue: When Axios spoke to four major West Coast-based health systems last month, most reported using tools from just two providers: Abridge or Microsoft.
The big picture: AI scribes raised $800 million in 2024, compared to $390 million in 2023, per PitchBook.