Petriage, a B2B pet health technology company, announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued to it an industry-first patent for its unique online pet symptom checker. Driven by artificial intelligence, the vet-validated teletriage Pet Symptom Analysis tool informs pet owners with over 97%-plus accuracy of the urgency for seeking care for their ailing dog or cat, based on information about their pet's symptoms inputted by the owner.
The fast-growing company's unique cloud-based software platform for veterinary clinics now includes the pet symptom checker and other tools that facilitate remote treatment and monitoring of a vet's patients and integrates pets' medical data effortlessly into vet practice management systems.
The symptom checker, which was patent-pending, was assigned U.S. Patent No. 10,930,401, entitled "Pet Evaluation and Triage System," protecting Petriage's innovative technology and investments for 20 years from its priority date. The patent covers technology invented by Petriage co-founders Shlomo Freiman and Allon Freiman, who are Chief Veterinary Office and Chief Strategy Officer, respectively; Data Science Adviser Casey Olives, Ph.D.; and Matt Staroscik, Principal Product Owner.
"This patent, Petriage's first, underscores how our state-of-the-art technology is transforming vet clinics' patient care, profitability and productivity, while improving the quality of life for vets and their staffs," said Petriage CEO Joseph Coury. "We're pleased that one of our core technologies has received patent protection, an important step as we continue to enhance our platform with new features."
"The pet symptom checker 'thinks' like a veterinarian reviewing a sick pet's complaints," explains Dr. Freiman. "What's more, with the machine learning component, Petriage continues to 'learn' and will have richer and richer data to draw upon with each additional use of the app."
Petriage's remote triage system sets the company apart from competing telehealth services as a full circle-of-care telehealth solution that also includes virtual medicine consultations and automated remote monitoring. Pet-owner clients get free 24/7 access to the pet symptom checker, which uses a sophisticated algorithm to identify pet ailments with increasing levels of urgency.
Using the app, clients can assess the need for veterinary care and remotely engage their family veterinarian using a free, downloadable app. Further, the checker has the built-in ability to allow clients to pay for consultations directly through Petriage.
Pet owner Erica Becker found it much easier communicating with her vet about her small dog's gastrointestinal problems using Petriage to connect with her vet. "I just logged in and described my dog's symptoms," she says. An alert went to her vet and she got an immediate response back asking how the dog's gums looked. She was then asked to snap a photo and upload it. She liked that she was able to type her own message in addition to being guided through a series of questions.
Petriage is developing additional telehealth technology and services, including wearables and enhanced data analytics capabilities, led by its Chief Technology Officer Gary Watson, a leading pet industry tech strategist and software architect.