New care model resolves 96% of medical issues, saves $381 annually per engaged member, and blends AI with physician oversight to give payers and employers a safe, scalable alternative to nurse lines, telehealth, and consumer AI
Counsel Health announced the launch of its next-generation AI care platform, built to serve as the responsible front door to healthcare. Backed by a $25 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and GV. Counsel combines the immediacy of AI with the oversight of licensed physicians to deliver care that is faster, safer, and more cost-effective at scale. This follows the company’s $11 million Seed raise, led by a16z in October 2024, underscoring the need for a healthcare experience that combines medical AI with in-house doctors.
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Current healthcare access points leave much to be desired: nurse lines rely on rigid protocols that drive over-escalation, telehealth is slow and transactional, and unsupervised AI chatbots raise safety and liability risks. Counsel was designed to address these challenges while meeting the strict compliance and governance requirements of payers and employers.
Counsel members can use chat or voice messaging to receive instant, context-aware answers to any health question, with Counsel’s physicians ready to step in as needed for diagnosis, prescriptions, or referrals, providing follow-up until concerns are resolved.
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“The U.S. healthcare system is at a breaking point, defined by unsustainable costs, limited access, and physician shortages,” said Julie Yoo, General Partner at a16z. “Counsel is reimagining care delivery in an AI-native world: scalable, evidence-based, and accessible. We’re excited to back this team that brings a unique blend of clinical insight and AI fluency to set a new standard for care.”
Counsel’s model is grounded in clinical rigor: a physician-led medical group, licensed in all 50 states, combined with AI that is augmented by clinical guidelines and patient medical records, trained to escalate to Counsel’s physicians when needed. The results are compelling: a 96% issue resolution rate, 2-minute response times from physicians, and $381 annual savings per engaged member.
That impact extends to quality and safety. In one instance, a member with abdominal pain and concerning lab results was on the path to a hospital admission for liver failure. Counsel intervened, triaging to the right setting of care and averting a serious hospitalization.
“Counsel is setting a new standard for how technology can be responsibly integrated into healthcare,” said Krishna Yeshwant, MD, MBA, General Partner at GV. “With an AI-enabled approach that combines best-in-class, deeply experienced providers, Counsel is redefining care delivery by making trusted, physician-supervised guidance available to millions.”
“Health plans and employers don’t just need more access points, they need ones they can rely on,” said Muthu Alagappan, MD, CEO of Counsel Health. “By combining AI speed with physician judgment, Counsel delivers trusted answers members act on—and real cost savings for plans.”
The funding will support the growth of Counsel’s physician network, continued investment in AI, and enterprise partnerships with payers, employers, and provider groups. Counsel already serves more than 100,000 members nationwide across several existing partnerships, and is on track to reach millions more in the year ahead.
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Source – businesswire
