KeyCare has closed a $27.4 million funding round to expand its AI-powered virtual care platform built specifically for Epic systems. The Chicago-based startup positions itself as the first virtual care company designed from the ground up to work within Epic’s healthcare infrastructure.
HealthX Ventures led the Series B round, with participation from 8VC, LRVHealth, BOLD Capital Partners, and several healthcare organizations including WellSpan Health and the University of Chicago. The funding brings KeyCare’s total raised capital to over $55 million since its founding.
How does it work?
KeyCare operates as a virtual medical group that plugs directly into health systems’ existing Epic installations. Their clinicians provide 24/7 urgent care, primary care, and chronic disease management through video consultations and digital tools.
The key difference from typical telehealth services is integration. When patients use KeyCare, their visit data flows directly into their home health system’s Epic records. This means their regular doctors can see what happened during virtual visits, maintaining care continuity.
The company is building AI tools on top of Epic’s platform to help clinicians work more efficiently. These tools assist with patient triage, documentation, and care recommendations during virtual visits.
Why does it matter?
Healthcare access remains a major problem across the United States. Many patients struggle to get timely appointments with their regular doctors, leading them to emergency rooms for non-urgent issues or delaying care entirely.
Most existing telehealth solutions create data silos. Patients might get quick care, but that information doesn’t easily flow back to their primary care team. KeyCare’s approach keeps everything connected within the health system’s existing workflows.
“Access is one of the defining challenges in healthcare,” said Sulabh Agarwal, KeyCare’s CEO. “Health systems are under pressure to deliver timely care, but the infrastructure wasn’t designed for how patients actually seek care today.”
The context
The telehealth market exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic but has since struggled with integration challenges. Many health systems adopted quick telehealth solutions that don’t communicate well with their main electronic health record systems.
Epic dominates the hospital market, with over 250 million patients having records in Epic systems. By building specifically for Epic, KeyCare can offer deeper integration than platform-agnostic competitors.
KeyCare plans to use the new funding to expand its AI capabilities and serve more health systems. The company describes its vision as “Telehealth 2.0” – moving beyond simple video calls to create a more sophisticated virtual care experience.
“As healthcare becomes more digital, integration and coordination matter more than ever,” said Mark Bakken, Managing Partner at HealthX Ventures. “KeyCare has taken a fundamentally different approach by building a vertically integrated, Epic-based virtual care organization from the ground up.”