Riva Health: Smartphone Blood Pressure Monitoring

Riva Health Aims to Revolutionize Blood Pressure Monitoring with Smartphone Technology

Founded by scientist Tuhin Sinha and Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus, Riva Health is developing a novel approach to blood pressure measurement. The company intends to provide clinically validated assessments, potentially identifying at-risk individuals before symptoms manifest, thus offering early detection of heart disease.

Securing Seed Funding for Innovation

Riva Health has successfully raised $15.5 million in seed funding, spearheaded by Menlo Ventures and including participation from True Ventures. A significant $5 million contribution came from UC Health and the University of Colorado Innovation Fund, alongside investments from angel investors like GoHealth’s Brandon Cruz and Madison Industries’ Larry Gies. Greg Yap of Menlo Ventures will join the board of directors.

A Personal Journey Inspires Digital Health Focus

Dag Kittlaus, also the founder of the AI-assistant Viv, explained that his personal health challenges spurred his interest in digital health solutions. He was diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer in 2016, the same illness that claimed the life of Steve Jobs.

Kittlaus sought a groundbreaking technical innovation, a “wedge” capable of driving significant change, but initially lacked the necessary component. A conversation with friend Shawn Carolan led to an introduction to Tuhin Sinha, the scientist whose technology forms the foundation of Riva.

How Riva's Smartphone-Based System Works

Utilizing Riva is straightforward: users simply open the app and tap “Go,” activating the smartphone’s camera flash. The app then guides the user to position their finger correctly over the camera, ensuring optimal signal acquisition. The system then analyzes light to track changes in blood pressure and displays the results.

The Technology Behind the Innovation

“The core principle involves illuminating a blood vessel and obtaining a waveform,” Sinha explained. “However, the true innovation lies in the waveform’s shape, its correlation to blood pressure, and our proprietary method for rigorously validating these changes.” Sinha emphasized the importance of assessing blood pressure across various positions – standing, sitting, etc. – to ensure accuracy.

After analyzing data from five to seven heartbeats, Riva provides a comprehensive blood pressure reading.

Data Security and Integration with Healthcare Providers

The collected data is fully HIPAA compliant and can be securely transmitted to physicians or healthcare facilities for analysis, particularly in cases of potential hypertension. This facilitates proactive risk assessment and management.

A Software-Centric Approach to Health Management

Sinha highlighted that Riva Health is fundamentally a software solution, aiming to mobilize health measurement and management. The company is currently adapting its software for compatibility with Android phones, confident that “any modern phone should be able to acquire the necessary signal.”

Navigating the FDA Approval Process

A key challenge for Riva, like all health tech companies, is obtaining FDA approval for clinical use. The company is actively engaged in this process and plans to involve users of its free app, launching this summer, in trials and data collection to support its application.

Riva is currently evaluating its technology in clinical settings, with plans to expand testing to real-world home environments. This dual approach aims to demonstrate efficacy in both controlled and everyday scenarios.

Differentiating Riva from Existing Solutions

Kittlaus distinguished Riva from other blood pressure monitoring devices, labeling many as providing “blood pressure as a novelty.” Unlike traditional cuffs and some wearable devices, Riva aims for the precision and reliability required for clinical decision-making.

Validation by Leading Healthcare Professionals

Dr. Richard Zane, chief innovation officer of UC Health, described Riva’s technology as “bulletproof” after rigorous testing. He noted that Riva is one of the few companies to meet his team’s high standards, overcoming the common barrier of requiring specialized devices.

“It actually worked out of the box the first time, which basically never happens,” Zane stated. He emphasized Riva’s ability to integrate with devices patients already own, facilitating heart disease and hypertension management.

A Focus on Outcome-Based Healthcare

Sinha emphasized that Riva’s core product is improved healthcare outcomes. The company aligns with the growing trend of outcome-based healthcare, where providers are compensated for positive results rather than simply the volume of services provided. Riva intends to monetize by selling these outcomes to hospital systems and providers, demonstrating its ability to prevent surgeries and enable earlier diagnoses.

Exploring Reimbursement Models and Insurance Coverage

While only 20% of healthcare currently operates on a value-based model, Riva is actively engaging with insurers to secure reimbursement for its services, particularly for hypertension treatment and management. The goal is to provide free access to consumers and doctors, with insurance covering the cost of the service.

Anticipating Physician Acceptance

Kittlaus anticipates initial skepticism from physicians but believes the demonstrable accuracy and continuous monitoring capabilities of Riva will ultimately convince them of its value compared to traditional blood pressure cuffs.

“You’re prescribing an app,” he said. “Instead of medicine.”

Looking Ahead: App Launch and Continued Validation

The Riva app is expected to be publicly available in late 2023 or early 2024, pending FDA approval. The coming months will be crucial for validating the technology and establishing its success. Sinha has a deeply personal connection to the company’s mission.

Having lost multiple family members to heart disease, Sinha views Riva as a way to address the condition that impacted his family. “I feel like I have a ticking time bomb in my chest,” he said. “And if anything, I’m going to do this for myself.”

Article updated to clarify that the Apple Watch itself does not measure blood pressure.