Locata

Locata offers an AI-powered referral management solution specifically designed for primary care clinics. The platform leverages sophisticated AI agents to automate each stage of the referral process, alleviating the administrative burden on back-office staff. This includes automating prior authorization submissions, disseminating updates, and diligently following up with patients, ultimately enabling staff to dedicate more time to direct patient care.

The primary care sector faces significant challenges due to understaffing and the overwhelming administrative workload associated with referrals. Patients also encounter difficulties navigating the intricate referral process, potentially leading to adverse health outcomes if they fail to receive timely care. This highlights a critical systemic deficiency: of the 100 million+ specialist referrals issued annually in the United States, only approximately half are successfully completed. Locata directly addresses this issue, aiming to save administrative staff valuable time each week and ensure a seamless referral experience for both patients and healthcare providers.

Founded by Alejandro and Josh, who met at Stanford and both hold BS degrees in Computer Science, Locata benefits from their extensive experience in AI and software engineering. Alejandro previously served as a senior software engineer at Meta's Reality Labs, spearheading the development of AI features for wearable technology. Prior to that, he conducted AI research at Stanford Medicine. Josh earned a master's degree in Computer Science with a specialization in AI and worked as a software engineer at Google, where he developed AI products used by over a billion users.

In the initial two weeks following product development, Locata secured a contract with a major regional health center and has already saved them over 100 hours of administrative work in the first month of operation.