UpDoc has secured FDA clearance for the first Software as a Medical Device utilizing patient-facing large language models, allowing its autonomous AI agents to execute tasks historically requiring a licensed clinician. Alongside the regulatory clearance, the company raised $18 million in oversubscribed seed financing from healthcare investors including Section 32, Eli Lilly and Company, Mayo Clinic, and the American Diabetes Association. The platform enters the market after a landmark clinical trial led by its founders at Stanford Medicine.
Unlike administrative tools restricted to scheduling or billing, UpDoc integrates directly into electronic health records to deliver continuous care between scheduled doctor visits. The software uses a proprietary architecture that unifies clinical guidelines, patient data, and physician governance to handle hands-on interventions. For instance, the platform can identify shifting blood glucose trends in a Type 2 diabetes patient, titrate insulin within physician-approved parameters, order follow-up tests, and log the data automatically without an appointment.
Initial deployments are underway at four major health systems, including Cleveland Clinic, Allegheny Health Network, and UCSF Health. The technology aims to scale continuous care while reducing workforce strain and administrative burdens on primary care physicians. Desi Kotis of UCSF Health stated, "The next frontier is making care continuous with smarter coordination between visits."
UpDoc's approach aims to provide clinical AI agents that act on behalf of doctors rather than replacing them. The capital will fund expansion across provider settings with traceable accountability. UpDoc CEO Sharif Vakili stated that the clearance marks a milestone where "clinicians will be able to deploy clinical AI agents to help complete tasks autonomously."
