A lot of the conversation around AI in healthcare often centers on diagnostics, drug discovery, or doctor-patient interactions. However, an often-overlooked component is the administrative work involved in connecting patients with specialists. This administrative gap is significant, largely manual, and increasingly capturing the interest of venture capitalists.
Kaled Alhanafi and Chetan Patel co-founded Basata after facing this administrative challenge themselves. Patel’s personal experience with the cumbersome care process began when his wife fainted on a flight, while Alhanafi encountered delays and inefficiencies with his father’s cardiology referrals.
Basata, founded in Phoenix, aims to streamline this process. It uses AI to process incoming referrals, extract relevant data, and directly contact patients for scheduling. Their AI system ensures immediate patient engagement and handles administrative tasks like prescription renewals. Basata integrates carefully with electronic medical records, starting with cardiology and expanding to other specialties.
The company’s revenue model is usage-based. Basata has supported roughly 500,000 patient referrals and recently secured $24.5 million in funding, including a Series A round from Basis Set Ventures. Competition in this field is growing, with companies like Tennr and Assort Health raising significant funds. However, Basata leverages its founders’ experience to build trust with medical practices and offers an end-to-end solution for specialty-specific workflows.
The AI-driven approach could redefine roles within medical administration, though Basata emphasizes that its goal is to enhance human efficiency, not replace it. As demand grows, 70% of Basata’s new business comes from referrals, showing strong market validation for their model.
Pictured above, left to right: Chetan Patel, Basata’s co-founder and president; Kaled Alhanafi, CEO; Vivin Paliath, co-founder and CTO.