Feebris
Healthcare systems are struggling to keep their highest risk patients out of hospital. Conventional digital health tools, like virtual consultations and basic RPM solutions, are insufficient when dealing with patients with complex comorbidities, requiring proactive management across the care continuum.
The Feebris platform creates capacity for healthcare systems by enabling non-clinical users to conduct clinically reliable assessments in-home/community settings and identify risk of deterioration. Embedded in an intuitive mobile interface, a powerful AI engine ensures the quality of every measurement, extracts digital biomarkers and helps assess risk. The platform supports the patient across the full continuum, from proactive health management and early detection of deterioration to minimise hospitalisations, to post-treatment monitoring for early and safe discharge.
Scroll down for our interview with the co-founder:
Interview with:
Elina Naydenova, CEO & Co-Founder
Why did you start Feebris?
Whilst working at the WHO in 2014, I realised for the first time that pneumonia, a perfectly treatable disease, is the number one killer of young children. For the most vulnerable patients, especially children and older adults, the early detection of disease and deterioration is absolutely critical to avoid hospitalisation and even death. Whilst our ability to perform precise and personalised assessments in hospitals is improving, doing the same in the community is close to impossible. After completing a PhD at Oxford to prove that machine learning can diagnose pneumonia in community settings, I set up Feebris with a mission of bringing precision healthcare to communities around the world.
What has been your happiest moment so far as a startup founder?
Supporting our first 1,000 patients right at the start of the pandemic. These were all older adults living in care and nursing homes, who were at high risk for COVID. Enabling carers to evaluate the risk of deterioration for their complex needs and extending clinical decision making into the home, even when doctors could not physically visit, ensuring safe and effective delivery of healthcare.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned to date?
Whilst different healthcare systems have different structures and payor models, the fundamental problems are shared. Globally, we face an unprecedented lack of clinical professionals, only aggravated by The Great Resignation. Ultimately, this means many cannot receive the care they need, when they need it, at an affordable price. Solving this problem is as critical for the UK's NHS, as it is for the public health system in India, or any US provider network caring for Medicare & Medicaid patients, especially those in rural areas.
Are there any founders or companies you look up to?
I admire founders and companies taking on the biggest challenges facing humanity today, especially in healthcare and climate change. Within that, founders from under-represented groups, who dare greatly every day to build a more equitable future that reflects and celebrates our diversity.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Enable. Reliable data. Health equity.
What is the quality you most admire in a colleague?
Resilience and empathy. I admire people who take on big challenges and meet them with resilience and empathy (for themselves and others).
What is your current state of mind?
Optimistic - we’re making great progress in the US and our UK position has never been stronger.
Why did you decide to partner with KHP Ventures?
As an organisation, KHP MedTech is unique. The blend of entrepreneurs, clinicians, VCs and other experts throughout the organisation is incredible. Being the first fund founded by NHS trusts is also a huge positive for us.
KHP has understood the value of Feebris from the very beginning and is clearly aligned with our mission and vision for the future.
Looking to the future, what do you hope Feebris will achieve?
A world where no one suffers because they cannot access a doctor. We are committed to augmenting human intelligence and empathy with AI to ensure that everyone can access detection of disease at home and reach treatment early.