Leona Health has launched what it claims to be the world’s first AI co-pilot for doctors integrated directly with WhatsApp, rolling out across 14 countries and 22 medical specialties to help physicians better manage patient communication and administrative workload by turning unstructured messages into organized workflows and suggested responses while retaining the familiar messaging experience that patients already use. Backed by $14M in seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from General Catalyst, Accel, Maven Clinic’s Kate Ryder, Nubank’s David Vélez, and Rappi’s Simón Borrero, the platform aims to address one of the most pressing challenges for clinicians, especially in Latin America where “In Latin America’s private healthcare system, care often begins with a WhatsApp message,” said Caroline Merin, cofounder and CEO of Leona Health, and many doctors see hundreds of messages daily on their personal phones which mix administrative and clinical queries and lead to burnout and inefficiency. By securely integrating with a doctor’s WhatsApp through the Leona mobile app, the AI assistant automatically categorizes patient messages, suggests responses, enables team collaboration, and provides administrative support, soon to be followed by AI conversational scheduling and full automation of non-clinical tasks.
Also Read: Chai Discovery Secures $130M Series B to Accelerate AI-Driven Molecular Discovery
The solution is particularly impactful in regions where Electronic Health Record adoption is low and WhatsApp is the default patient communication channel, allowing physicians to reclaim hours previously spent managing messages so they can focus on patient care, with early adopters reporting significant time savings. “The heart of healthcare is the doctor-patient relationship, but without the right tools, that humanity comes at a cost,” Merin added, highlighting that Leona Health’s mission is to automate the administrative side of medicine while scaling human connection rather than replacing it. By turning everyday administrative tasks into efficient, intelligent workflows and supporting doctors with AI-enhanced tools that learn from each practitioner’s workflow, Leona Health positions itself as a new healthcare operating system designed to scale compassionate care globally, meeting physicians and patients where they already are.