Hippo Interview

Source: Hippo Technologies Inc.

BRIAN:

DERRICK:

To add more texture to the “digital twin” approach, Hippo connects various parties where the mentor elevates the skills of the clinical partners.

Using the traditional approach, there is a worldwide shortage of the skilled personnel to do the work that needs to be done in healthcare. That can change with the Hippo Virtual Care work force multiplier (the workforce pyramid) where a cascade of relationships progressively transfers knowledge and support to those with more basic capabilities.

To elaborate on this important concept, it is much more than remotely answering a clinical question. It is about assessing the clinician and the patient at the same time, similar to an apprenticeship. It is about making the remote user progressively better while developing a sense of trust and teamwork. This increases the quality and frequency of consultative discussions and fosters continuous professional development of the individual and the team.

BY: DERRICK ZIERLER

In closing, we feel that Hippo Technologies Inc. is well positioned at the convergence of the two megatrends of technology and health. Hippo combines these trends with best-in-class hardware, software and a proven team of medical professionals. We are in the right place, at the right time, with the right team and the right approach.

From my perspective, the virtual care headset unlocks the next paradigm of mobile computing - hands-free and voice-centric technology. In a post-COVID world, with people wearing PPE and a need to be hands-free with the requirement to be able to do proctoring between multiple continents at the same time while they're scrubbed up, it is a natural fit for the evolution taking place in healthcare technology. I also give Google credit for their work with Google Glass and to all of the other trailblazers for working in the AR, VR, mixed reality and wearable space.

Hippo Virtual Care is device agnostic, AR, VR and MR. We have initially focused on a mixed-reality device, which has a lot of flexibility between being able to do some basic AR functions, but also first-person point-of-view with real-time collaboration use case focus. We believe this class of headsets can truly democratize the healthcare space.

A big area of “friction” from my perspective is related to access to how to maintain continuous connectivity and this includes direct experience working in 3G environments for some of the first deployments in Africa as well as navigating even 2G. The barriers that we need to overcome and the friction we need to address are: integration with the existing clinical workflows, creation of knowledge networks without boundaries, and eliminating the “black hole” of healthcare where people don't have access to what they need, when they need it. Some patients just don't have anyone to go see or they don't know where to go.

How are you going to address all of these barriers and reduce friction to significantly improve health care delivery? The Hippo Virtual Care platform becomes the knowledge network and on-demand system to help address all of these patient care challenges in real time. Additionally, as professional development and training for healthcare resources becomes more challenging due to reduced travel, the Hippo Virtual Care platform unlocks a large opportunity for the future of continuing medical education and training.

with the founders of Hippo Technologies including more on their quest to revolutionize healthcare.

We focus on the needs and preferences of the end-user. That ranges from the clinician in an operating room with the latest in sophisticated technology to healthcare delivery in emerging countries where the needs and challenges are quite different. In all cases, the solutions arise from a complete understanding of needs and resources.

We’re not driven by technology but rather we use technology and expertise to solve problems. That sounds like a common approach, but when you look at what actually has been deployed in our industry, that’s not always the case. For example, the EMR confers many benefits but these advantages often come at the expense of the patient and provider, where the clinical encounter is impeded by a computer screen that neither welcome. Virtual Care allows us to address seemingly intractable problems with new methods.

We coined the phrase “Networks without Borders and Knowledge without Boundaries“ to capture the strengths and possibilities of the Hippo Virtual Care platform. Today, the obstacles of geography, training, and time prevent the ideal matching of existing resources with dispersed needs. Our “knowledge network“ can change that. We take knowledge from where it resides to where, when, and how it is needed.

DR. QUINLAN:

From my perspective, we are really focused on the last mile of mobility. I actually see Virtual Care being delivered through mobility and that includes headsets, traditional mobile phone platforms, as well as emerging Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality platforms.

What we bring is the equivalent of the Digital Twin concept used in enterprise verticals but for healthcare. However, with the Hippo approach, the “twin” is actually another living, breathing clinician who holds the necessary certification and licensed expertise or is trained on the front lines to support a local population. We are human-centric.

To do this well, we are hardware platform agnostic. We love the fact that the big players like Apple, Google, Microsoft are in the space at a cloud hardware and software level. We also are valuing the success that RealWear, Vuzix, Epson and Magic Leap and others are delivering in wearable computing.

The other piece that's really important to us is security and regulatory compliance. What's the lowest common denominator for compliance? Right now, GDPR is becoming one of the global standards for that. Being able to support Europe as well as the USA with these HIPPA and GDPR standards globally as a foundation of the Hippo Virtual Care platform is critical.

Also, actually designing a platform from the ground up for clinical workflows and being able to work safely in the different clinical environments is a key differentiator for us. We believe the work we are doing is more of a baseline to the future of artificial intelligence and our viewpoint right now is that it's not about taking the human away from the decisions. It's about decision trees where people can triage things quicker leading to better outcomes.

From a Total Addressable Market perspective, we're focused on hospitals and health delivery organizations including ER, CCU, ICU, acute care, outpatient clinics, remote care, post-acute care, nursing homes, rehabilitation center, long-term care, behavioral units and beyond.

BRIAN:

DERRICK:

My interest in the Hippo approach centers around how Augmented Reality headsets could be used to reduce “friction” and lower the cost of healthcare delivery around the world. How does the Hippo Virtual Care platform accomplish this?

As you know, I have followed the RealWear wearables story closely since its inception in 2016. In fact, in 2017 I attended the formal launch of their HMT platform in California and had a chance to meet the entire executive team including Co-Founder and then Chief Revenue Officer, Brian Hamilton. You can read my 2017 preview of the RealWear HMT platform here. Brian has been involved in the Augmented Reality industry a long time and remains relentless in his pursuit of the breakout use case for Mixed Reality headsets. With the help of Dr. Pat Quinlan, I think he may have found it.

I am now convinced that the breakout use case for AR/MR headsets is the global virtual care industry. Why do I say that?

By all accounts, the virtual care industry is already massive and growing with telehealth alone is expected to be a $95B market by 2024. Furthermore, the global COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions has resulted in an increased reliance on telemedicine and is driving innovation in the virtual care delivery space.

Seeing an opportunity to merge technology, process, and knowledge networks, Brian and Dr. Quinlan assembled a world-class team of healthcare professionals to form a new company, Hippo Technologies, Inc., with a bold objective: transform the global healthcare industry by using the next computing paradigm to dramatically improve delivery.

DERRICK:

Hippo Technologies is an interesting name. Can you elaborate on how this name was chosen and tell us more about the company’s core mission?

DR. QUINLAN:

Thank you both for your time! I look forward to further updates on Hippo’s success in the near future.

Source: Hippo Technologies Inc.

Dr. Pat Quinlan, CEO

DERRICK:

The opportunities truly seem endless. It reminds me of the story of how many countries on the continent of Africa levered wireless cellular technology to leapfrog traditional telephone line infrastructure. Similarly, how could a solution like Hippo Virtual Care transform an emerging nations ability to access and deliver healthcare?

Recently, I was able to secure time with Hippo Technologies founders CEO Dr. Pat Quinlan and President Brian Hamilton.

After our conversation, I now believe that the time for AR/VR to make global Virtual Care a reality is here with the Hippo Virtual Care technology platform, and their company’s purpose-driven approach.

The Hippo Virtual Care platform represents a very interesting use case for existing AR headsets. In particular, you can see how the unique hands-free user interface of a voice-driven platform is key to driving accelerated adoption of the Hippo solution.

The global virtual care space certainly represents a large opportunity for AR headset vendors, and it could be the market that drives annual shipments over the magical 100K mark sooner than expected!

To learn more about Hippo Technologies and their approach to transforming healthcare with the Hippo Virtual Care model, please visit the following links:

Hippo Virtual Care use cases

Polymorphic Medicine White Paper (Hippo HIVE membership required)

Absolutely. It was derived from wanting to deliver the principles in the modern-day version of the Hippocratic oath.

Our core mission at Hippo is to bridge the gap between physical care and Virtual Care, enabling healthcare providers and educators to overcome the barriers of time, distance and training. As Dr. Quinlan says, we are a true knowledge network. We take knowledge from where it resides to where, when, and how it is needed globally to support people to do the best possible job of providing access to healthcare.

Hippo Technologies is very focused on mission, vision, value, and purpose.

If you trace the history of medicine over the last 50 years, it has taken a global pandemic to actually drive us across the chasm to make telehealth viable and deliver Virtual Care. On the hardware side, the technology we are using at Hippo includes a variety of different types of wearable displays and supports delivery of Virtual Care via traditional mobility of phones and tablets as well as heads up displays.

December 14, 2020

Source: Hippo Technologies Inc.

Healthcare is a huge space, and many technology companies seem poised to change how it works. For example, we believe Apple aspires to have a great impact on customer health and the healthcare industry overall with its technology: their Apple Watch platform is making great strides to assist users and clinicians with diagnostics. In what segment of the healthcare space will Hippo see success and what does your solution offer?

BRIAN:

It is important to match the device with the need. For many instances, the head-mounted tablet is the best solution. It is a rugged tool not a delicate instrument that can be used in virtually any environment. Importantly, it is hands-free so the individuals can conduct medicine as they ordinarily would versus trying to improvise with a laptop, desktop or phone, which can be burdensome or obtrusive. The “you are there” perspective afforded to the mentor is invaluable in many instances. It replicates what the mentor would see in a typical examination and conforms to traditional training and experience. The maintenance of eye contact w the patient, the first-person perspective, voice control and real time decision support makes collaboration easy and efficient- fundamentally better than anything available to date.

Remaining medically current is a growing challenge. The half-life of medical knowledge is shrinking relentlessly. A shared knowledge network can address that problem. We must learn how to share and deploy differently. The good news is that this can now be better and cheaper.

Finally, despite best of intentions regarding patient centered care, the total costs of our current approach incurred by patients are poorly captured. How can we eliminate or minimize the full cost of travel to seek care (lost time from work, travel cost and inconvenience), and the full consequences of delayed or missed diagnoses to the patients and their families?

We can now do so much more with existing resources to make care more efficient, effective and available. Virtual Care can democratize care, improve medical outcomes, unlock the full potential of existing assets and lower the total cost of care. Care when, where, and how needed.

I think there is an opportunity to take a major leap ahead in healthcare delivery with the Hippo Virtual Care model. We see a huge advantage working in emerging countries because they are unencumbered by the limitations of healthcare systems as found in other nations. We believe there is a tremendous healthcare access opportunity to deliver of healthcare in emerging countries in our mission to provide access for all.

Geographic challenges are really interesting. You can have certain disparities in levels of care even amongst a group of islands or any geographically diverse country. The ability to combine wireless connectivity and provide access via these headsets and Hippo Virtual Care platform is powerful. Furthermore, think about the ability to deliver these headsets into remote areas lacking healthcare infrastructure using local couriers, taxi or motorcycles delivery services.

Traditional healthcare infrastructure will continue to progress and modernize, but there is now an opportunity to significantly expand its reach through the Hippo approach to virtual care. The headset is basically the key, or last mile, to delivering increased access to high quality healthcare on a global scale.

DERRICK:

Brian Hamilton, President

DR. QUINLAN: