Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Blogs
    • AI
    • Deals
    • Layoff Tracker
    • HIMSS 2023
  • Opinion
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - AI and Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
  • Data & Insights
    • Data & Insights Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Technology
February 19, 2016 11:00 PM

Tech company connects patients with docs for second opinions

Beth Kutscher
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    “We got together to develop a technology platform that can get insider access,” said Owen Tripp.

    Access to top-tier specialists, second opinions and timely appointments. That's what the savviest and most connected patients get when they're faced with a serious medical condition.

    Technology company Grand Rounds has developed tools it says provide that same level of service to everyone else.

    The company's technology platform helps connect patients who want a second opinion on a diagnosis or treatment plan with physicians who are experts in their conditions. These physicians, who may be located up the block or thousands of miles away, agree to review those patients' medical records and offer feedback on how they should proceed.

    Grand Rounds was founded in 2011 as ConsultingMD. Co-founder Owen Tripp previously helped create Reputation.com, a software company that helps businesses manage their online reputations.

    His partner in Grand Rounds, Dr. Lawrence Hofmann, is chief of interventional radiology at Stanford (Calif.) Hospital.

    “We got together to develop a technology platform that can get insider access,” said Tripp, who is also the company's CEO.

    Grand Rounds' primary customers are employers that want tools to help guide their workers in their sponsored health plans to high-quality, cost-effective care.

    The company also sells a software program called ExpertLink, which allows hospitals to perform remote consults under their own brand with their own experts.

    Hofmann

    Grand Rounds

    Headquarters

    San Francisco

    Co-Founders

    Owen Tripp (CEO) and Dr. Lawrence Hofmann

    Innovation

    A software platform that connects patients seeking second opinions with experts in their specific conditions.

    Status

    The venture-backed company has raised $100 million from investors that includes Venrock and Greylock Partners.

    Studies from as far back as the 1980s have found that second opinions can be cost effective in preventing unnecessary treatment. Grand Rounds is one of the newest players in this space, which also includes the companies Best Doctors and PinnacleCare.

    Tripp said Grand Rounds' proprietary quality algorithm for finding experts sets the company apart from its peers. That algorithm scores physicians based on their training, institution, publication history and other undisclosed factors.

    “Grand Rounds is incredibly selective,” Tripp said. “We've picked off the top 0.1% of experts to play with the other experts. From Grand Rounds, you've got the A-Team.”

    The company also helps patients track down and compile their medical records, a daunting task when records can run hundreds of pages long.

    Few studies have been conducted on how often second opinions diverge from an initial treatment plan. A 2014 literature review, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that second opinions contradicted an initial diagnosis or treatment in 10% to 62% of cases, depending on the study.

    At Grand Rounds, Tripp estimated that its experts disagree with the original diagnosis or treatment plan in 66% of cases.

    Grand Rounds doesn't disclose revenue. The San Francisco-based company has raised $100 million in capital from backers, including Venrock and Greylock Partners.

    In 2014, the company partnered with price transparency company Castlight Health, which allowed consumers to access Grand Rounds directly through Castlight's platform.

    Physicians who work with Grand Rounds are paid, or can direct their pay to charity. But highly specialized physicians also are attracted to the service as a way to find patients with specific conditions that interest them, Tripp said. “This takes them back to the go-go days of their residency,” he said. “That's why we call ourselves Grand Rounds. It's a little bit of a wink and a nod to the doctors.”

    Hospitals, too, see value in extending their brand and reach.

    The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York has been working with Grand Rounds for more than a year. The partnership is part of an overall focus on making care more convenient for patients, including through new digital health tools.

    About 15 surgeons across its service lines have piloted the technology and the hospital is now more broadly expanding the program. “Their platform really fits in with our brand,” said Justin Oppenheimer, vice president at HSS. “In today's world of healthcare, it's forever important to bring care as close as possible to the patient.”

    Dr. Michael Cross, a hip and knee surgeon at HSS, has seen more than 20 patients through Grand Rounds since he began working with the company several months ago. Patients might be seeking a second opinion on having a knee replacement or may be facing a complicated revision after a previous surgery.

    “People want to come to HSS, but don't want to fly out to New York,” Cross said. He estimated that he disagrees with the original treatment plan in more than a third of cases. About a quarter of patients ultimately transfer their care to HSS, he said. “It's a smaller number, but it's still a real number.”

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    doctor_patient_tablet_getty_i_i.jpg
    How AI may influence pain medication prescriptions
    Amir Dan Rubin
    Amazon's One Medical CEO to step down later this year
    Most Popular
    1
    Centene to lay off 2,000 workers
    2
    How health systems are battling price-gouging allegations
    3
    Senate advances bill to temporarily aid hospitals, health centers
    4
    Elevance, Blue Cross Louisiana halt $2.5B proposed deal
    5
    Tower Health to sell urgent care centers, close others
    Sponsored Content
    Digital Health Intelligence Newsletter: Sign up to receive a twice-weekly (T, F) morning newsletter featuring the latest reporting on technologies, trends, players and money fueling the rapid changes in how healthcare is developed, paid for and delivered.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Help Center
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Blogs
      • AI
      • Deals
      • Layoff Tracker
      • HIMSS 2023
    • Opinion
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - AI and Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
      • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
    • Data & Insights
      • Data & Insights Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing