Abridge is a private technology company founded in 2018 by Dr. Shiv Rao in Pittsburgh, United States, specializing in artificial intelligence (AI)-based clinical documentation within the healthcare industry. The company aims to reduce documentation burdens and improve workflows across healthcare systems by converting conversations between healthcare professionals and patients into real-time clinical notes. Its systems are designed for integration with electronic health records (EHR) and, as of 2025, are used in over a hundred healthcare systems across the U.S., leveraging AI-powered speech recognition and note generation technologies.

Founding and Development

Abridge was established to alleviate clinicians' administrative workloads. Its founding team included engineers and AI researchers from Carnegie Mellon University. The company’s first product was a transcription application that recorded and summarized doctor-patient conversations via mobile devices. The data gathered from this application helped train Abridge’s foundational large language models (LLMs). Following a $5 million seed investment from Union Square Ventures in 2019, the platform rapidly expanded. In 2023, Abridge completed a $150 million Series C round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, raising its total funding to $212.5 million.

Technological Infrastructure and Product Features

Abridge’s core technology includes two main components: a speech recognition system customized for medical dialogues, and a note-generation module that transforms speech into structured clinical notes. The company’s ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) systems prioritize the accurate recognition of medical terminology and support over 14 languages. The algorithms format documentation using the SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) structure to meet clinical and legal requirements. Notes can be integrated directly into widely used EHR platforms such as Epic.

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Applications and Uses

As of 2024, Abridge’s platform is employed by major healthcare providers, including Yale New Haven Health, Mayo Clinic, Emory Healthcare, UChicago Medicine, Sutter Health, Memorial Care, and Christus Health. Its “Abridge Inside” solution integrates with Epic’s Haiku and Hyperspace modules, enhancing data capture and documentation in emergency and multi-speaker settings. In 2025, the company partnered with Kaiser Permanente, integrating the platform with over 24,000 physicians.

Clinical Impact and Evaluation

Abridge reduces average documentation time by 86% and decreases after-hours charting by 60%. Its use has led to up to a 55% reduction in clinician burnout. The company ensures reliability through continuous monitoring, clinician feedback, and comparative evaluations. Licensed physicians assess outputs from various versions of the system, and user experience is tracked via quality audits and an in-app rating interface.

Research and Scientific Contributions

Abridge contributes actively to AI research in healthcare. Led by Chief Scientist Dr. Zachary C. Lipton, the company has published studies at conferences such as ACL and ICLR, addressing topics including medical summarization, ASR error classification, and multilingual transcription. These publications focus on accuracy, reliability, and usability, grounded in original clinical datasets.

Corporate Structure and Values

Abridge is led by CEO Dr. Shiv Rao, Chief Technology and Systems Officer Dr. Zack Lipton, COO Julia Chapin, and CPO Mario Queiroz. Its core values include empathy, collaboration, continuous improvement, and human-centered design. These principles guide the company’s approach to both product development and user support.

Awards and Industry Recognition

In 2025, Abridge received the “Best in KLAS” award in the Ambient AI category from KLAS Research and became the inaugural recipient of the “Trailblazer” award from CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives). These honors reflect independent user feedback and measurable impact on healthcare systems.

Abridge stands out as a specialized example of AI integration in healthcare, combining automated documentation, multilingual support, and user-centered development to reduce time spent on paperwork and enhance doctor-patient interaction. Its broad partnerships, strong investor backing, and scientifically grounded technology position it as a leading AI solution in clinical practice.