SaVia Health, which makes clinical support software that can embed in an EHR, announced Monday it had raised $8.5 million in seed funding.

The round was led by Intel Capital, with participation from Kickstart, Peterson Ventures, Health Catalyst cofounder Tom Burton and Stanford University professor Dr. Brent James. 

WHAT IT DOES

SaVia offers a support tool for clinical care teams that can be embedded into a health system's EHR. It allows providers to write care workflows that deliver best practices and next steps at the point of care.

On the startup's website, SaVia describes a use case for sepsis, a severe response to an infection that can be life-threatening. The company said its software can detail the steps needed to address sepsis across the care team, guiding clinicians on what they need to do and when.

Salt Lake City-based SaVia's tool has already been in use at Intermountain Healthcare. The startup said it plans to use the seed funds to develop its self-authoring platform, add to its library of off-the-shelf workflows and work to expand sales. 

"Patient care faces several challenges, including smoothly integrating the latest technology into existing processes," Nick Washburn, senior managing director at Intel Capital, said in a statement. "SaVia is seamlessly changing the game for clinicians by translating data into guidance on what steps to take and when to best serve each patient."

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Provider burnout and accompanying workloads are long-running concerns in healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic added significant stressors for clinicians. According to a study published in JAMA Health Forum, burnout rates reached a high of about 60% by the fourth quarter of 2021. 

The research found lower rates of burnout in less chaotic work environments, and for clinicians who felt valued or those who felt a sense of teamwork. 

Another startup in the clinical support space is Kahun, which recently raised $8 million. The startup's first product asks patients questions about their concerns and provides a summary with recommendations for follow-up to the physician.

Regard, which scored $15.3 million this summer, is developing an EHR-integrated clinical support tool. At the time, the company said it uses artificial intelligence to sift through patient history, surface relevant information and suggest potential diagnoses.

Google has also been expanding its clinical workflow software. In early 2021, it rolled out Care Studio, a search tool that allows providers to access information across EHRs used in a health system and find relevant data. Earlier this year it revealed Conditions, which aims to organize information about a patient's specific health concern and highlight where data is missing.