Mabu, the Robot, Aids the Specialty Pharmacy Patient Experience

Catalia Health is a  patient care management company founded by Cory Kidd, Ph.D., in 2014. Catalia Health provides an effective and scalable solution for individuals managing chronic disease or taking medications on an ongoing basis.

The company’s AI-powered robot, Mabu, enables healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies to better support patients living with chronic illness. Mabu uses a voice-based interface designed for simple, intuitive use by a wide variety of patients in remote care environments.

Mabu stands 15 inches tall and — while not mobile — has a face and head. This was incorporated into the design because people are more likely to connect with a face, even if it isn’t human. 

Catalia Health’s software incorporates expertise in psychology, artificial intelligence, and medical treatment plans to help patients manage their chronic conditions. The result is a sophisticated robot companion that uses daily conversations to give patients tips, medication reminders, and information on their condition while relaying relevant data to care providers. The information exchange can also take place on patients’ mobile phones.

The Mabu Care Insights Platform delivers detailed data and insights to clinicians at a specialty pharmacy provider to help human caregivers initiate timely and appropriate outreach to the patient. The goal is to help better manage symptoms and address patient questions in real-time.

Mabu is helping to deliver personalized care by gaining insights that allow the specialty pharmacy to reach out to patients as they express challenges in managing their conditions. Mabu also generates health tips and reminders to help patients get additional information about their condition and treatment that may help them along the way. Mabu’s goal is to help patients navigate barriers and health care challenges that are often a part of managing a chronic disease.

Catalia Health and Pfizer recently launched a pilot program to explore patient behaviors outside of clinical environments and to test the impact regular engagement with artificial intelligence (AI) has on patients’ treatment journeys.

Heart failure patients first brought Mabu into their homes as part of a partnership with Kaiser Permanente, who pays for the service. Catalia Health also announced a collaboration in 2018 with the American Heart Association that has allowed Mabu to deliver the association’s guidelines for patients living with heart failure.

Since then, Catalia Health has also partnered with health care systems and pharmaceutical companies to help patients dealing with conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and kidney cancer. The company hopes to add to the number of partnerships and help patients dealing a wider swath of diseases.