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Tele911 develops a technology platform that integrates virtual care into the emergency medical services system. The company's core product enables paramedics at an emergency scene to connect via live video with a board-certified emergency medicine physician, facilitating immediate assessment and guidance. This approach ensures efficient patient triage, treatment in place when appropriate, and optimization of ambulance transport decisions.
The company was founded in 2019 by three experienced emergency medicine physicians: Dr. Shira McClellan, Dr. Richard Boxer, and Dr. Matthew Waxman. They observed that a significant portion of 911 calls do not necessitate expensive ambulance transport or emergency room visits, contributing to system inefficiencies and overcrowding. This insight led them to create a solution that bridges the gap between initial 911 response and the emergency department.
Tele911 primarily serves Emergency Medical Services agencies and fire departments, offering an alternative pathway for managing non-critical 911 incidents. The company's vision is to redefine prehospital emergency care by integrating advanced telemedicine, aiming to make emergency services more efficient, patient-centered, and to ensure that critical resources are reserved for genuine emergencies.
Tele911 has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Tele911 has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Tele911 is a healthcare technology company founded in 2020 and headquartered in Pasadena, California, that builds a software platform integrating telehealth and patient navigation into 911 and emergency medical services (EMS) systems.[1][2][3][4] It serves health plans, hospital systems, municipalities, fire departments, EMS agencies, device manufacturers, and self-insured employers by enabling emergency physicians to conduct virtual assessments, diverting stable patients from unnecessary ambulance transports to overcrowded ERs—up to 85% of such cases—and linking them to appropriate care at home or clinics.[1][3][4] This solves critical problems like EMS overload, ER misuse, delayed responses to life-threatening calls, and high healthcare costs, while improving patient-centered outcomes; the company covers 9.5 million lives, has raised $2.93M (including a multimillion-dollar seed round), and shows growth through expansions like adding over 1 million lives in 2023 and launching CareSignal911 in 2024.[1][2][4]
Tele911 was founded in 2020 by leaders in emergency medicine, including Dr. Marc Eckstein, an EMS Medical Director in Southern California who implemented patient-centered care programs.[3] The idea emerged from recognizing that up to 85% of ambulance-transported patients to ERs could be safely treated elsewhere, amid EMS challenges like overcrowding and resource strain.[3] Early traction came via a multimillion-dollar seed round in November 2021 from strategic investors like Takeda Digital Ventures and the Laerdal Million Lives Fund, enabling deployment of virtual care into EMS triage.[3] Pivotal moments include partnerships like with Innovar Healthcare for interoperability in clinical document sharing and expansions covering over 1 million additional lives by December 2023.[1][2]
Tele911 rides the telehealth and digital health wave in emergency services, addressing post-pandemic EMS burnout, ER overcrowding, and rising costs amid an aging population and wearable-driven alerts.[1][3][4] Timing aligns with value-based care shifts, where risk-bearing entities prioritize diversion to lower high-cost ER utilization—up to 85% avoidable—while interoperability mandates like Carequality boost data sharing.[1][3] Market forces favoring it include health plans' push for cost savings (e.g., Blue Cross Blue Shield praise), regulatory support for EMS innovation, and tech adoption in public safety; it influences the ecosystem by making 911 more patient-centered, freeing paramedics for true emergencies, and setting standards for virtual triage nationwide.[1][3][4]
Tele911 is poised to expand beyond 9.5M lives by deepening integrations with RPM devices, event safety, and national health systems, leveraging its seed funding momentum and tools like CareSignal911 for broader ER diversion.[1][2][4] Trends like AI-enhanced triage, further tele-EMS reimbursement, and biometric alerts will accelerate growth, potentially scaling to tens of millions under risk-based models. Its influence may evolve into a standard for proactive emergency care, transforming reactive 911 into efficient, insight-driven networks—proving that bridging telehealth to the front lines not only saves costs and lives but redefines public safety in a strained healthcare ecosystem.[1][3][4]
Tele911 has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Tele911's investors include Laerdal Million Lives Fund.
Tele911 has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in September 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2021 | $2M Seed | — | Laerdal Million Lives Fund | Announced |
