TurnUp Raises €2M to Reduce Healthcare No-Shows

The big picture: TurnUp, the Ghent-based AI platform, has raised €2M in a seed round led by Newion, with participation from RDY Ventures. The company helps dental and medical practices reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations, and will use the funding to scale commercial activities, expand its technical team, and grow its presence in the UK. TurnUp connects to existing practice management software to predict and resolve missed appointments.

Why it matters:

• Significant Cost: Missed appointments cost the global healthcare sector an estimated €350 billion annually, with roughly 7% of patients canceling last-minute and 4% failing to appear.
• Lost Revenue: For individual practices, a single empty chair per day can result in thousands in lost revenue each month, despite long waiting lists for care.
• Inefficient Manual Processes: Front-desk staff typically manage cancellations manually, a process that is inefficient and fails to address the problem at scale, leading to persistent gaps in appointment schedules.

How it works:

• Predictive AI: TurnUp’s platform integrates with practice management software to predict the likelihood of a no-show up to two weeks in advance, using historical patient behavior, location, age, and external factors like weather.
• Automated Reminders: Patients identified as high-risk receive automated reminders via email, SMS, and phone calls. If a cancellation occurs, the system immediately offers the freed slot to patients on a waiting list, filling 90% of these slots quickly.
• AI Receptionist: The platform includes Elissa, an AI receptionist that handles confirmation calls in multiple languages, including evenings and weekends, managing confirmations, cancellations, and rescheduling requests to free up staff time.

The catch: While the market opportunity for reducing healthcare no-shows is substantial, TurnUp faces the challenge of integrating with a diverse array of legacy practice management systems across different regions. Ensuring data privacy and security compliance across various healthcare regulations will also be critical for scaling, alongside demonstrating consistent ROI to practices that may be hesitant to adopt new AI-driven solutions.