Pip Care Secures NIH Grant to Accelerate Delivery of Digital Tools to Surgical Patients

Pip Care has been awarded a prestigious Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide more patients with comprehensive perioperative care support before, during, and after surgery. Usage of Pip Care’s platform has been shown to reduce postoperative complications, improve outcomes, and streamline operations for surgical care teams. In the United States, nearly 50 million surgeries are performed annually, and despite medical and surgical advancements, postoperative complications are among the top three leading causes of death. In many patients, complications after surgery lead to extended hospital stays, high rates of readmission, and overall poor surgical outcomes.  

As a solution that dramatically reduces surgical complications and associated adverse events, Pip Care will receive a grant from the NIH for $2.2 million over two phases. For Kathy Kaluhiokalani, founder and chief executive officer of Pip Care, this grant is a significant recognition of the criticality of Pip Care. “Millions of Americans undergo elective surgery each year and many have suboptimal outcomes. This NIH award is another step forward in Pip Care’s evolution to creating a perioperative care platform focused on improving patient outcomes, while reducing administrative work for clinical teams,” said Kaluhiokalani. 

Pip Care is Essential in the Surgical Process 

Pip Care offers a personalized, interactive surgical journey platform that pairs patients with a live health coach, who works directly with health systems to optimize the perioperative care process.  Pip Care health coaches provide patients with a customized preparation plan informed by their surgical team along with emotional support throughout the surgical journey. Coaches provide information, tools, and resources patients need in order to have a successful surgery. In a pilot study with the Center for Perioperative Center (CPC) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), implementation of Pip Care resulted in reduction of the mean length of stay by 0.7 days, same day surgery cancellations were avoided in 99.5% of cases, and Pip Care received an aggregate patient satisfaction score of 4.8 out of 5. 

Expanding Access to Pip Care to Optimize Surgical Outcomes 

With this grant, the Pip Care team will have the opportunity to engage with 2,000 patients at UPMC across a multitude of surgical areas. “Increasing access to digital tools such as Pip Care empowers care teams and patients to implement comprehensive perioperative care pathways. As a result of this integrated, personalized approach, we see shortened lengths of stay, lower readmissions, fewer wound infections, and overall better surgical outcomes,” said Aman Mahajan, MD, PhD, MBA, Peter and Eva Safar Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at University of Pittsburgh.

To learn more about the impact of Pip Care, read the most recent journal publication here and to learn more about Pip Care’s Series A funding read here,