Today, we're so excited to announce the launch of our new AI assistant, a milestone that represents the next step in empowering patients with their own health data.
When I joined PicnicHealth four years ago, I was inspired by the untapped potential of medical records—in particular, what could happen if we put this data directly in the hands of patients to help them navigate their care and, if they choose, contribute their de-identified data to research.
Over these years, we've delivered on much of the original vision that attracted me, but I couldn't have anticipated how two key trends—expanded virtual care and the rise of generative AI—would shape our trajectory and bring us to where we are now.
Today I want to take a moment to share the story of how we got here, and tell you a little more about our AI assistant and how it fits into the broader ecosystem of tools and services we've created to empower patients in their healthcare journey.
Rewinding to early 2021, we were on the heels of the pandemic. Seeing the newfound embrace of telemedicine, we saw an opportunity to develop a novel virtual care model that gives patients uniquely personalized insights on the basis of complete records in a simple, digital format. Having spent my early career making clinical-grade genetic tests directly available to patients, I saw how combining easy access to data about yourself with appropriate clinical guidance resulted in empowered patients. I wanted to do the same thing at PicnicHealth, but focused on the insights we could generate from a true universal record.
Meanwhile, our team was also developing LLMD - a generative AI model specifically designed to extract insights from medical records. Over the last few years it’s been trained on millions of pages of clinically-annotated EHR data, and fine-tuned to outperform top frontier and industry models when it comes to making sense of medical records.
Now we’re at an exciting inflection point where we are bringing the benefits of these forces directly to patients. Earlier this year, we announced our Virtual Clinic, where personalized care plans and preventive care support are delivered by our dedicated clinical team -- including physicians, nurses, and medical assistants -- using patients' longitudinal medical records as the foundation. Today, we’re excited to announce our smart health assistant, which puts the power of generative AI directly in the hands of patients through a re-imagined product experience, and by surfacing insights and creating efficiencies for our virtual clinic providers.
This combination gives patients the best of both worlds - quick answers and insights with the help of AI, and clinicians ready to support them when they need to go a step further- all backed by a complete, universal record.
Over the last couple years, we’ve seen countless examples of how AI is reshaping healthcare, from physician scribe co-pilots to diagnostics and real-world evidence. But what has been largely missing is something that puts this technology directly in the hands of the millions of us navigating the healthcare system as patients.
That’s where we come in.
“Picnic”, our new health assistant, simplifies your care by unifying your medical records and helping you understand your health so you can stay proactive. It collects and curates your key medical information into a single, unified record, helps you understand your health by simplifying complex medical information and answering questions, and streamlines care by helping maintain a unified care plan.
Here are a few of the things that it can do:
“What was that dark spot on my arm called?”
“When did I start on metformin?”
“Latest blood pressure measurement”
These are all things that you can now ask Picnic, and you’ll get back a concise AI summary, with links to the relevant doctors’ notes, test results and measurements from your medical records. For those familiar, think of it like Perplexity, but on your own medical history.
Earlier this year we launched Pinboards, which let you create a curated view of important records. Now our assistant can create pinboards in a single click from suggestions based on your records, by collating the most relevant records related to your journey, like imaging, procedures, and specialist visits.
Tap on any word or phrase within your medical records and Picnic will provide a simple explanation of what it means. It even takes some of your medical history into account so it can provide more personalized context.
Picnic is more than just a set of features. It is a personal assistant and navigator that goes with you on your health journey. It ensures that you have your important records readily available, you understand every detail, and nothing slips through the cracks. Picnic provides clarity into your health journey, keeps you informed, facilitates better conversations with doctors, ultimately resulting in better care.
Our AI assistant is available in beta, and while we’re excited to share it with you, we view this as just the beginning. We’ve integrated robust monitoring and clinical oversight into our approach, ensuring that the assistant provides trustworthy support. We look forward to continuing to enhance its capabilities with a focus on accuracy, usability, and value to patients.
For those interested, our product is available through a yearly subscription, and for free for those in active PicnicHealth studies. Once you have records on our platform, they’re yours to keep for life. Learn more at picnichealth.com/care.
We're eager to hear your feedback as we work to make this AI assistant the best it can be. Thank you for joining us on this journey—there’s so much more to come!
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List the names of all the doctors, hospitals, and other facilities your loved one visits regularly, along with those they have visited in the past. Try to go back as far as you can, striving for at least the last 5-10 years, but do your best. Even if you can’t remember them all, having a strong baseline can help you quickly identify gaps in records.
It is important to make sure that you are fully empowered to make decisions on behalf of your loved one with Alzheimer’s. Your relationship status with the patient may not be enough to legally give you access to your loved one's medical information. It is a good idea to talk to an expert about securing special legal status, such as Power of Attorney (POA), a legal document that allows an individual to name someone as their decision maker should they no longer be able to make decisions on their own.
It’s important to have all of your loved one’s medical records together in one spot. This makes it much easier for you and your loved one’s physicians to accurately map the patient’s medical journey and more easily share information between doctors. Fortunately, tools exist to make record management and access simple. A free resource like PicnicHealth helps you collect and organize all of this information. PicnicHealth’s intuitive timeline allows you to pinpoint data across the medical history, eliminating your need for keeping heavy binders filled with paper records or keeping track of multiple software portal logins.
The better you understand your loved one's medical history, the better you can advocate on their behalf. Access and understanding of this information will help you to ask informed questions with physicians. Through regular communication backed by the data in the medical records, you can help your loved one’s care team develop a more successful care plan.
Learn more about PicnicHealth’s commitment to the Alzheimer’s community and the Alzheimer’s Association
Learn MoreWhen you’re juggling appointment times and insurance claims, putting a robust support system together might not strike you as the most urgent task. Investing the time to cultivate relationships with people can turn to in times of need will pay dividends. The next time you need a last-minute ride or just someone to listen, you won’t be on your own.
There are many condition-specific support groups and support groups for caregivers generally in person or online. In addition to the encouragement and empathy they provide, support groups can be a helpful source of tips, resources, and recommendations for navigating caregiving.
The backbone of effective caregiving is organization. Keep medical information, appointment schedules, and medication lists in order. Use a planner or a digital service like PicnicHealth to stay on top of your responsibilities. This attention to detail can prevent future complications and reduce day-to-day stress.
We’ve seen incredible breakthroughs in treatment over the past couple of years, powered by patients and their caregivers participating in research. Stay in the loop about the latest in medical advancements and available resources that could benefit your loved one. Whether it’s a new therapy option or a community service that aids independence, being informed can make a world of difference in the quality of care you provide.
It may seem self-centered to focus on self-care—but when you feel good, you can be a better caregiver. Whether it’s exercise, a mindfulness practice, a soak in the bath, or just time to rest when you need it, carve out those moments in the day when you can unwind, reset, and stay healthy mentally and physically. Think of it as building up your reserves of kindness, patience, and understanding—which can only benefit your loved one. No one can pour from an empty cup.
Easily manage all of your loved one's medical records and contribute to ongoing Alzheimer's research with PicnicHealth.
Learn More(from 13 patients with LC-FAOD)
38% Female
15 providers / patient
7.5 years of data / patient
(from 13 patients with LC-FAOD)
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