Oakland, California-based Elemeno Health, which makes a virtual coaching software for healthcare teams, announced that it has concluded a $1.3 million round of seed funding. The financing was led by Launchpad Digital Health, which hosts Elemeno in its San Francisco accelerator. Other participants included Silicon Valley-based tech accelerator Y Combinator, and regulatory tech venture investor Fenway Summer.

“Elemeno Health is changing healthcare delivery at the front line with its SaaS virtual coach for healthcare teams,” Fred Toney, CEO and cofounder of Launchpad Digital Health, said in a statement. “We are excited to lead this round of financing, and we believe this mobile platform successfully addresses the significant knowledge-practice gap in healthcare today. This proven mobile platform provides nurses, doctors and hospital staff with a simple solution that notably improves quality and patient safety at the point of care.”

Elemeno’s virtual coach aims to help frontline medical professionals adhere to consistent care delivery. The HIPAA-compliant app and web service includes how-to videos and smart checklists, and implements social and gamification strategies to better motivate users. The service also offers anonymized end-user analytics that help hospital administrations evaluate the behaviors and practice effectiveness of their caregivers.

“This funding allows us to accelerate our growth and development, and it allows us to help more healthcare institutions provide higher quality care at a lower price,” Dr. Arup Roy-Burman, CEO and cofounder of Elemeno Health, told MobiHealthNews. “Our technology helps healthcare institutions engage their frontline staff in the adoption and adherence to best practices, which decreases variability, increases consistency, and increases predictability — improving quality, safety, and outcomes.”

Roy-Burman — along with cofounder and Chief Technical Officer Ed Nanale — founded Elemeno in 2016. Earlier this year, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco distributed the platform to nurses who were caring for children with indwelling central venous catheters in three high-risk units. From comparisons against control units and 673 self-assessments from 105 nurses, they reported a 48 percent reduction in central line infections, an 85 percent reduction in Clostridium difficile infections, improved personal protective equipment compliance, and increased engagement due to in-app competitions.

“With a rapidly expanding knowledge-practice gap challenging healthcare, there is no better way to cut through the noise than with a simple solution that streamlines best practices and care,” Roy-Burman said in a statement. “Our cloud-based virtual coach addresses this significant healthcare challenge and is helping healthcare systems deliver lifesaving results.”