Tech Tools for O&P Offices

Ludvig Fraenkel and Erik Dahlqvist were researchers at Stanford University when they became interested in developing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to help O&P clinicians select prosthetic materials.

“We spent huge amounts of time in clinics and realized that deciding what type of titanium alloy to use was not taking up a lot of their time,” says Fraenkel. “Instead, they were wrestling with administrative processes, selecting components, and dealing with insurance. With our engineering and AI background, we thought we were a perfect fit to address these problems.”

They joined forces with Chaitanya Katpatal, a computer scientist from ETH Zurich. The three pivoted and the result was Everi Labs, a startup that leverages AI to work with administrative and insurance tasks. They chose that name, says Fraenkel, because “we’re here to support every clinician, every patient, and every step of the care process.” They chose to complete the name with “Labs” because “we’re not just a software vendor, but an innovation partner, building the future of this field together with the clinicians who define it.”

Along with founding engineers Viktor Lado Naess and Adam Mehdi and input from an advisory board of practitioners, the researchers developed specific tools to help O&P facilities with referral intakes, authorizations, audits, denials, and appeals. Fraenkel says, “The tools use voice transcription in meetings to automate journaling to help clinicians write notes and select components—and, based on their choices, to help write letters of medical necessity and other documents tailored to their insurance.” He believes clinicians should be able to minimize their time on tasks they don’t love.

“Because different clinics work differently, we had to have adaptable tools to fit each one. The barrier to entry is very low, because facilities don’t need to replace their existing electronic health records (EHR) system,” Fraenkel explains. “Our product is designed to fit seamlessly into the EHR processes they already use.”

Everi’s AI tools adhere to regional and national data protection regulations, according to Fraenkel. The products create evidence-based documentation and enable clinicians to access real-time status on claims, approvals, and patient progress.

Everi started by testing its product in multiple clinics in California and in the European Union. “O&P in Europe is not as different as one might think,” Fraenkel says. “The workflow is pretty similar.”

Everi is scaling up and working with as many clinics as possible. “We try to be physically present in the clinics as much as we can to be available,” says Fraenkel, “and see how they are using the product.”

As technology evolves, Fraenkel expects to see much more data-driven decision making. The company has launched a chatbot, reportedly compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that can provide the latest research data, “making it more accessible to clinicians,” he says. “We are aware that there is unsafe AI being thrown at various industries. AI should only serve the clients. They should know where it gets information from, so they don’t have to jump in on new technology they don’t trust.”

The company is aware of its responsibility to the worldwide community, Fraenkel says. For example, Everi is helping practitioners in the Philippines with digitizing their day-to-day work tasks that today rely heavily on paperwork. “They only work with paper, so we are sharing more efficient ways of scanning it in. We want to give tech to people who deserve it.” He adds, “In any country, financial situations shouldn’t be a barrier to using good technology. We will work to find a solution that will work for every clinician.”

“We plan to grow through more partnership and a commitment to putting the patient first,” Fraenkel notes. “O&P is such a uniquely human field, we want to enhance that—not replace the human connection. We’re so excited and humbled and thankful to help advance this profession.”