Conversa Health, an innovative provider of patient relationship management services, announced it has closed a $2.5 million seed round with top-tier healthcare angel investors and appointed industry veteran Daniel Dean as chief technology officer. The company also announced the formation of a Medical Advisory Board.

The capital will be used to expand Conversa's Digital Checkup™ service with leading distribution partners in care management, population health and customer relationship management. Conversa's solution directly supports large health systems in the shift from episodic, visit-based care to ongoing, digitally connected patient-centered care.

'Patient relationship management is an exciting new category of health care solutions that addresses patient engagement and population health management,' said West Shell III, Conversa's co-founder and CEO. 'With this funding, the addition of Daniel Dean to our talented team and the formation of our Medical Advisory Board, we're on the way to leading the charge in this newly defined space.'

Daniel Dean joined Conversa's leadership team as chief technology officer, responsible for all engineering and product management. Dean will lead Conversa's talented team of Health IT engineers in building out a robust product roadmap for its expanding user base.

Dean was the CIO for Health Share of Oregon, one of the nation's largest Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) administering physical, mental and dental benefits for the Medicaid population. He also helped pioneer electronic health records (EHRs) at MedicaLogic/GE, and has held product and technology leadership positions at Responsys, WebMD and Press Ganey. With considerable experience in EHRs, system interoperability and technology implementations for complex health systems, Dean consistently delivers effective clinical solutions that meet the needs of both patients and their care providers.

Conversa's newly formed Medical Advisory Board, under the leadership of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Danny Sands, a practicing primary care physician at Beth Israel Deaconess, will create clinical content for the company's Digital Checkup platform. New advisory board members include Dr. Joseph P. Kannam, a cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess, and Dr. Lyle Mitzner, an endocrinology specialist at the Joslin Diabetes Center. All three distinguished physicians hold academic appointments at Harvard Medical School.

'The real measure of success in this fast-changing digital health market is how well you can understand complex customer dynamics and execute,' said Conversa board member Peter L. Levin, also CEO of Amida and the former CTO of the Veteran's Administration, where he led development of the Blue Button initiative to provide consumers with direct access to their health data. 'Getting data to flow securely, accurately and dynamically across clinical systems, and knowing how to align the interests of disparate stakeholders at the table are critical. This team brings proven know-how from their years in both large, complex organizations and innovative digital health startups.'

About Conversa Health (conversahealth.com)

Conversa Health is a leader in delivering customized patient relationship management services. Our focus is centered on enhancing the trusted physician-patient relationship through continuous, collaborative, structured communications between visits. Conversa's Digital Checkup™ platform automates the delivery of personalized messaging based on a longitudinal patient profile dynamically derived from EHRs, biometric devices and self-reported data. Conversa helps care teams efficiently monitor patient progress and outcomes, which enables them to focus on those patients most in need of guidance and support.