Jeenie Raises Growth Capital to Accelerate Elimination of Language Barriers Across U.S. Healthcare

On-Demand, Mobile Interpreting Platform Connecting Healthcare Providers and Patients to Live HIPAA-Trained Interpreters Announces Series A Investment of $9.3M Led by Transformation Capital

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Jeenie, an industry-transforming virtual interpreting platform that connects clinicians and patients to live interpreters on-demand, today announced its Series A funding round of $9.3M led by Transformation Capital, a leading digital health growth equity firm.

The investment supports the growing need in healthcare for innovative solutions that meet the demands of increasingly diverse communities and integrate with modern technology. Currently in use in hundreds of healthcare facilities across the U.S. and expanding rapidly, Jeenie’s mobile and web platforms connect caregivers and patients to live interpreters in less than 30 seconds, in the moment of need and at the point of care.

“Jeenie was created to make language assistance ubiquitous, so anyone in the world can effectively communicate without language barriers,” said Kirsten Brecht Baker, CEO and Co-Founder of Jeenie. “In healthcare in particular, this means being a voice for the most vulnerable, by ensuring clear, trusted and accurate communication between caregivers and all their patients. We are excited to leverage our partnership with Transformation Capital to expand our market reach, improve patient literacy, and support the delivery of efficient, equitable care.”

Language barriers in U.S. healthcare are a leading cause of inequitable access to quality care, a disparity exacerbated by the transition to telehealth post-Covid. One in five people in the United States speaks a language other than English, resulting in hundreds of thousands of conversations happening every day between caregivers and their patients where language discordance risks poor treatment outcomes and legal consequences. Limited English-speaking and deaf patients disproportionately suffer adverse events during care, as well as higher rates of hospitalization and morbidity due to misdiagnosis and mistreatment that result from language barriers. Healthcare providers face ever-increasing risks of malpractice, with 55% of cases resulting from miscommunication.

“I know from my time taking care of patients that getting high-quality interpreter services exactly when you need them, amidst a busy clinical schedule, is both hard to do and crucial to delivering optimal care,” said Dr. Jared Kesselheim, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Transformation Capital. “The moment I saw Jeenie, I wished it had been available when I was on the wards, and I am excited to help make Jeenie accessible to clinicians across the country and around the world to help them deliver better care.”

While Federal law requires healthcare providers to make professional interpreting services available at their own expense, only ~60% of hospitals and providers actually offer on-demand services in any language and with varying degrees of adequacy. Roughly 40% remains non-compliant, often because existing interpreting services are difficult to set up, require too many steps to use, and are too expensive, especially for SME providers.

How It Works

Jeenie is an on-demand, user-friendly, and scalable platform that serves the needs of healthcare organizations of any size, from small clinics to large health systems. Caregivers open the app on their mobile device or computer, select the patient’s language, and tap a button to start a video or audio call with an interpreter.

Caregivers can:

• Get help 24/7 in 300+ languages, on-demand or scheduled, including American Sign Language, rare, and indigenous languages
• Connect to a medically-qualified, HIPAA-trained interpreter in under 30 seconds on video or audio, without call centers, operators, or login hurdles
• Use the app on any device or operating system, in any situation, from the ER, to a patient room, to a home visit
• Rate interpreters after each session, ensuring constant and immediate quality control
• Integrate interpreting into telehealth platforms, call center operations, and videoconferencing services

“Providing high quality care requires overcoming the language barriers that impede provider-patient communication. Our team at MGB is so impressed by Jeenie’s innovative solution and the positive impact we believe it will have on future care and patient outcomes,” said Dr. Gezzer Ortega, MD, MPH, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Surgery, Instructor, Harvard Medical School. “When patients have direct access to an interpreter at critical moments, from intense emergency and trauma situations where seconds matter to post-discharge instructions and follow-up, they have better understanding of their treatment protocol and are empowered to participate in their own healthcare.”

Jeenie is available for download on any mobile device or tablet in the App Store or Google Play Store, and on desktop through the Jeenie client portal.

About Transformation Capital
Transformation Capital is a digital health growth equity firm dedicated to supporting commercial stage companies focused on improving people’s health and the sustainability of the healthcare system. The firm was founded on the premise that investing in healthcare requires both a sophisticated understanding of the healthcare system, including the prevailing market forces and resulting opportunities, as well as deep connections with decision makers across key providers, payers, and digital health innovators. Transformation Capital has invested in digital health companies across the ecosystem, including Health Catalyst, Datavant, LetsGetChecked, CareRev, Groups Recover Together and Vera Whole Health.

About Jeenie
Jeenie is a virtual interpreting platform that connects users to a video or audio call with live, qualified interpreters in 300+ languages for on-demand language assistance, 24/7. Jeenie’s interpreters are accessible through the Jeenie platform from any smartphone, tablet or computer, as well as through third-party integrations. In March of 2022, Jeenie was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. For more information, visit www.Jeenie.com or LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Jeenie