Last week operating room communication startup RelayOne announced a $1 million raise from Cofounders Capital. 

This news comes less than a year after the company scored $500,000 in seed funding, also from Cofounders Capital, bringing the total funding pot to $1.5 million. 

WHAT THEY DO 

The North Carolina-based startup has developed a software that lets surgeons and healthcare providers communicate with medical-device vendors about cases. The tool is able to integrate with EHRs, and can let both providers and venders view surgical schedules and get updates. 

The company developed the product in part to solve the communication gaps when it comes to frequent changes in the OR. 

“We’ve had OR directors tell us they are now able to remotely monitor the OR and proactively manage the schedule away from their desk. Until now, there wasn’t an easy way to do this,” Cam Sexton, RelayOne CEO, said in a statement. “Also, device vendors no longer need to rely on the hospital to send them scheduling info and updates. By doing this automatically, our product is alleviating a major pain point for OR staff.” 

WHAT IT’S FOR 

The company said that it plans to put this $1 million towards growing its product and expanding its hospital network. Specifically, it will be hiring new sales and engineering teams. The startup also noted that it plans on introducing new products down the pipeline. 

MARKET SNAPSHOT 

Clinical communication tools have been in the digital health space for well over a decade. However, new systems are continuing to emerge. In early March Microsoft launched a targeted communication within both the mobile and desktop versions of Microsoft Teams, Kristina Behr, general manager for modern-work verticals at Microsoft, told MobiHealthNews. Caregivers can be assigned different tags based on their roles, departments or whatever other groupings might apply. With these, groups of employees can received targeted messages within the chat platform.

Other big names in the medical messaging space include Spok, Voalte and TigerConnect. 

ON THE RECORD 

“Not only has RelayOne been able to demonstrate incredible ROI for their early customers, the engagement levels have been exceptional. Add that to their virtually seamless integration process and it becomes a no-brainer for hospitals,” Tim McLoughlin, partner at Cofounders Capital and RelayOne board member, said in a statement. “Once healthcare systems see this solution it becomes a 'must-have' product. We’re lucky to be able to give this team the capital they need to keep accelerating and solving this pain point across the country.”