In the fast-paced environment of modern clinics, the first few minutes of a patient visit are crucial. These moments, when doctors gather histories and assess symptoms, often dictate the effectiveness and efficiency of care. Yet traditional intake methods—static forms, rushed phone calls, or overburdened staff—frequently fall short. They miss nuances, frustrate patients, and consume precious clinical time. Human triage nurses, while effective, are costly and limited in availability. Paratus Health, a Menlo Park-based startup founded in 2024 by Stanford AI graduates Tannen Hall and Pablo Bermudez-Canete, seeks to solve this problem. The company has developed a voice-based AI agent that conducts pre-visit patient intake. Using more than 500 clinical triage protocols from the Schmitt-Thompson guidelines, the system engages patients in natural conversation, collects detailed symptom histories, and generates structured reports, including SOAP notes and potential diagnoses, for doctors before the visit begins.
The innovation lies not only in automation but in quality. By capturing richer, more nuanced patient data than traditional forms, the AI assistant prepares clinicians to spend less time on initial history-taking and more time on diagnosis and treatment. Beyond efficiency, Paratus Health aims to maintain empathy in patient interactions, providing a human-like experience while lowering the operational cost of intake processes.
The Challenges of Patient Intake
Patient intake is an often overlooked bottleneck in healthcare. Clinics typically rely on static forms or manual phone calls to gather information, but these methods capture only a fraction of the patient story. Checklists cannot detect subtleties in symptoms or clarify ambiguous responses, and rushed phone interviews can miss critical information. Human triage nurses fill this gap but come with high costs and scheduling constraints.
The inefficiency of traditional intake contributes to longer visits, clinician fatigue, and sometimes diagnostic errors. Founders Hall and Bermudez-Canete saw this firsthand: Hall’s personal experience with delayed diagnosis of a rare disease inspired a solution that could gather accurate information efficiently, before the patient ever sees a doctor. By automating structured intake using AI, Paratus Health addresses a fundamental pain point in healthcare workflows while aiming to maintain clinical accuracy and patient-centered care.
How Paratus Health Works
At its core, Paratus Health’s system is a conversational AI agent that interacts with patients via phone or digital messaging. The agent guides patients through structured conversations, dynamically adapting questions based on their responses. By leveraging over 500 triage protocols, the system evaluates urgency, identifies potential red flags, and ensures medically relevant questions are asked.
After the conversation, the AI generates a comprehensive report for the clinician. This includes:
Symptom histories
Potential diagnoses
Differential considerations
Pre-visit SOAP notes
These structured outputs integrate directly with existing electronic health records, giving doctors immediate access to detailed patient information. The AI effectively transforms the intake process from a routine administrative task into a clinically valuable step that enhances diagnostic accuracy and patient care.
Empathy in AI Conversations
One of the central challenges of AI-driven patient intake is ensuring the interaction feels natural and compassionate. Paratus Health’s agents are designed to communicate in a human-like, empathetic manner, fostering trust and encouraging patients to share sensitive details.
The system balances structured medical questioning with conversational nuance, creating interactions that feel responsive rather than scripted. Early users report that patients are more forthcoming during AI-led interviews than on traditional forms, leading to richer symptom data. This empathy-driven design is essential, as clinicians rely on accurate narratives to make informed decisions.
Benefits for Clinicians and Patients
The advantages of Paratus Health’s AI assistant span multiple dimensions:
Efficiency: Doctors receive structured patient reports before appointments, reducing the time spent on initial history-taking.
Accuracy: By asking detailed, protocol-driven questions, the AI captures information that might otherwise be overlooked, supporting better diagnostic decisions.
Cost Reduction: Automating intake tasks reduces the need for human triage staff while maintaining a high level of patient engagement.
Patient Experience: The conversational AI provides a supportive, patient-friendly interface that encourages disclosure of relevant health information.
Workflow Integration: Reports generated by the AI integrate with electronic health records, streamlining clinical workflows and documentation.
Early Pilots and Adoption
Paratus Health joined Y Combinator’s Winter 2025 batch and has a lean team of six employees. The company has launched pilot programs in outpatient clinics, receiving positive feedback from both clinicians and patients. Doctors report that pre-visit summaries allow them to enter appointments well-informed, while patients appreciate the clarity and attention provided by AI-guided intake.
The early traction suggests a growing market for AI-powered triage solutions that bridge the gap between administrative efficiency and clinical rigor. As healthcare organizations face increasing pressure to reduce costs while improving patient outcomes, innovations like Paratus Health’s AI assistant are attracting attention from investors, practitioners, and technology enthusiasts alike.
Implications for Healthcare
The adoption of AI-driven intake systems represents a broader shift in healthcare delivery. By automating routine, structured tasks, clinicians can focus on the interpretive and empathetic aspects of care that machines cannot replicate. This aligns with wider trends in health technology, including the use of AI for documentation, patient engagement, and remote monitoring.
However, integration with existing systems, patient data privacy, and ensuring consistent performance across diverse populations remain significant considerations. Paratus Health’s approach, combining evidence-based protocols with natural language understanding, aims to balance efficiency with safety and patient trust.
Future Outlook
Looking ahead, the potential of voice-based AI in healthcare is significant. Systems like Paratus Health’s could offer 24/7 patient intake, enabling care access beyond traditional office hours. Continuous improvements in natural language understanding, protocol expansion, and integration with digital health tools may expand the scope and reliability of AI-assisted intake.
While challenges remain, including regulatory scrutiny and the need for rigorous clinical validation, the early promise of Paratus Health points toward a future where AI supports clinicians, enhances patient experiences, and contributes to safer, more efficient healthcare delivery.
Conclusion
Paratus Health represents a compelling vision for the future of healthcare intake. By combining conversational AI, clinical protocols, and patient-centered design, the startup transforms the earliest moments of a patient encounter into actionable, structured insights for clinicians. Early pilots show promise in improving efficiency, diagnostic accuracy, and patient experience.
As AI continues to integrate into clinical workflows, Paratus Health illustrates the possibilities—and responsibilities—of technology that amplifies human judgment while maintaining the empathy central to medicine. The first conversation between patient and clinician may soon be guided not only by human skill but also by intelligent, empathetic algorithms designed to ensure every voice is heard.
FAQs
What does Paratus Health’s AI assistant do?
It conducts pre-visit conversations, applies clinical triage protocols, and generates structured reports for clinicians.
Does the AI replace nurses or doctors?
No. It complements clinical staff by automating intake, allowing humans to focus on care and decision-making.
How does the system ensure medical accuracy?
It uses over 500 Schmitt-Thompson triage protocols to guide questioning and assessment.
Can the AI integrate with electronic health records?
Yes. Reports and SOAP notes can be imported into major EHR systems for streamlined clinician workflows.
Is Paratus Health available for clinics now?
The company is in pilot programs and offers demos for clinics interested in testing its AI assistant.
