In clinics across the United States, retrieving patient records remains a slow, manual process. Dr. Kaushal Kulkarni, a neuro-ophthalmologist, describes the challenge as a daily hurdle in patient care.
“The fax machine still exists, but only in healthcare,” Kulkarni said. “Someone goes out and retrieves records from the hospital basement and proceeds to put 1,000 pages of basically fax records on my desk. ‘Here you go, doctor. Have fun.’ And now it’s my job, in the middle of a busy clinic where patients are already waiting half an hour or more, to flip through 1,000 pages and try to figure out what’s going on with the person in front of me who needs help.”
Kulkarni’s experience led him to connect with Nishant Hari, who had been developing a system to automate medical record retrieval. Kulkarni first became a user, then an investor, and later joined Hari with Dr. Priya Mehta and Alex Daniels as cofounders of Predoc in 2022.
Predoc is a platform designed to automate the retrieval, organization, and analysis of medical records. It handles the full workflow of records, from delivery requests, and integrates with electronic health record (EHR) systems to reduce administrative burdens. By managing these tasks, Predoc allows care teams to spend more time on patient care rather than chasing documents.
Predoc recently announced a $30 million raise across seed and Series A funding. Base10 Partners led the round. Northzone, Eniac, Era Ventures, and angel investors associated with Flatiron Health, Datavant, Thirty Madison, and Blackstone also participated.
Founding Predoc to Solve Record Delays
Predoc gained revenue quickly. Hari said the company reached approximately half a million dollars in revenue within six months. “That’s when we got preempted for our seed round,” he said.
The company now supports around 35 healthcare providers. In many cases, it functions as a fully outsourced records management team, handling tasks previously managed internally. Automated retrieval and analysis reduce the time staff spend tracking down documents, allowing clinics to focus on patient care.
Kulkarni explained the extent of the problem. “This problem is happening right now, probably in hundreds or thousands of doctors’ offices,” he said. “And you can imagine people always ask, why am I waiting at the doctor so long? It’s issues like this that are getting in the way.”
Healthcare Record Workflows and Industry Gaps
Health information management is a fragmented industry. Dani London, an investor at Base10, said the top five service providers only serve the top 10 percent of the market, generating roughly $2 billion in annual revenue. Most mid-sized and smaller clinics rely on internal staff for records management, often using fax, email, and phone calls.
“Much of this market wasn’t addressable because of the high overhead of legacy providers,” London said. “Predoc helps care teams focus on higher-value work while handling records efficiently.”
According to industry reports, thousands of clinics across the U.S. face similar challenges. Manual workflows can occupy staff for several hours each week, affecting appointment times and overall patient throughput.
Several companies provide partial solutions for medical record management. Some focus on imaging or lab results, while others offer portals for limited interoperability between electronic health record (EHR) systems. Large HIM providers continue to serve big hospitals but often leave smaller clinics with manual processes.
Predoc focuses on completing the “last mile” of record retrieval. Its system tracks pending requests, sends alerts for missing documents, and delivers files in time for clinical use. By handling the full workflow rather than partial integrations, Predoc reduces administrative burdens that previously slowed down care teams.
Hari emphasized the company’s approach. “We’re not one of those companies that thinks tech will completely replace doctors,” he said. “One of our core values is to amplify clinical expertise to help physicians get to their decisions quicker. We’re not looking to replace clinical judgment.”
Kulkarni, who continues to practice one to two days per week, explained why this is important. “People think the role of technology is to help diagnose the patient, but that’s not the issue,” he said. “Diagnosing is the easiest part of medicine. That’s what doctors love to do. The hard part is everything before and after. The role of technology is to remove all the burdensome administrative tasks now put on doctors and allow them to just do their actual job.”
The system allows physicians to spend more time with patients, rather than sorting through records, and ensures that care teams have the information they need without delay.
Operational Impact on Clinics and Patients
Predoc plans to use the new funding to expand engineering and client support teams and to integrate with multiple EHR platforms. By connecting with a wider range of systems, the company aims to handle diverse workflows across clinics of varying sizes.
Early adoption shows providers are willing to rely on external solutions to handle record retrieval. Hari said the platform’s impact is measured by time saved, not just features delivered.
Clinics using Predoc report improved operational efficiency, including faster patient intake and fewer administrative errors. In one example, a mid-sized clinic reduced staff hours spent on record retrieval by 40 percent within the first month of deployment.
Efficient record management directly affects patient care. Delays in receiving records can postpone appointments and treatment decisions. Kulkarni described the effect on patients, “Patients are waiting while we flip through stacks of paper. That’s not a good use of anyone’s time.”
By ensuring documents are available for appointments, Predoc allows care teams to make decisions quickly. Administrative tasks that previously took hours are reduced, giving staff more time for patient interaction and clinical work.
Hari added, “Our goal is simple. We measure time saved, and that is our impact.”
