When Eric and I started Radial, we were inspired by the idea of using “nudge theory” to empower healthcare professionals to make better decisions. As defined by behavioral economists, “nudge theory” means using positive reinforcement and indirect suggestion to improve decision-making. At our previous startup we had seen first-hand how various types of nudges can be used to change consumer behavior. We wondered if taking a similar approach could empower healthcare professionals to optimize care decisions, simultaneously improving patient outcomes and controlling health costs.

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Rigid “decision tree” tools are common across healthcare, but the evidence suggests such tools have reached their limits. Counterintuitively, decision trees deliver the strongest insight where it is least helpful: the most obvious, clear-cut patient cases. By contrast, where healthcare professionals truly need decision support is in the middle zone – the murky gray area where complexity prevails and clarity is lacking.

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We decided to start with critical “crossroads moments” in a patient’s care journey. Clinicians often describe these moments as “inflection points” – windows of time when focused intervention by health insurers and care teams is most impactful, for example when a patient transitions from one care setting to another. That led us to build Smart Placement, the first AI/ML platform specifically designed to help health insurers and hospitals identify which seniors can and should safely avoid short-term stays at nursing homes.

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Smart Placement has a proven track record of ensuring more elders get discharged home from the hospital with robust home-based healthcare services. Our results show lower costs, improved outcomes, and better patient satisfaction. Today, Smart Placement is deployed with payers and hospitals throughout New England, delivering real-time insights that “nudge” nurses and caregivers in the right direction, enabling higher-quality and more cost-effective decisions for the seniors they serve.

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Our $3 million raise follows increasing market traction and positions us for accelerated growth

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We’ve recently achieved significant year-on-year revenue growth and we’re just starting to identify the many additional “crossroads moments” where our nudge-based decision support platform can make a real difference to patient care. Today we’re delighted to announce that Radial is now a venture-backed startup. We’ve raised $3 million led by Initialized Capital, with participation from several of our existing angel investors. We’ll be using the funds to grow our team and build on our accelerating customer traction with Medicare Advantage plans and hospital systems in value-based care delivery contracts.

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We’re hiring for open roles across business, technical, and clinical areas – both in Massachusetts and remote. If you’re interested in using technology to change healthcare for the better, please get in touch.

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Thaddeus Fulford-Jones

Co-Founder and CEO