Joep Wegstapel, Verticai: 'Keyboard needs to get out of healthcare'

The use of artificial intelligence can significantly reduce the administrative burden in healthcare. That is the belief of Joep Wegstapel, co-founder of Verticai. This company develops software that automatically generates call logs and reports. That way, the keyboard can leave the consulting room, leaving more time for the client or patient.

Healthcare professionals spend much of their time on administration. That has to change, thought Joep Wegstapel and two other former students of Utrecht University, together with professor Sjaak Brinkkemper. In September 2023, they therefore founded Verticai, a spin-off of the Utrecht research program Care2Report. Their AI-based software takes much of the administrative burden off their hands.

"All four of us have a partner or parent who works in healthcare," Wegstapel says. "As a result, we saw up close that they often came home late because they had to type up reports after their shift. That motivated us to tackle the problem."

From conversation to report

The Verticai Platform uses speech recognition and other modern techniques. The software records the conversation between practitioner and client, creates a transcript of it and then generates a report. Wegstapel explains how this works in practice: "Imagine a psychologist is in conversation with a client. As they talk, a transcript appears live on the psychologist's screen. At the end of the session, the software creates a report from that, with relevant information in a template of their choice, such as that of the Electronic Client Record."

Checking and adjusting

The psychologist need only review the report. If necessary, he or she can make changes manually or use the "Make shorter" or "Adjust with AI" buttons.

Wegstapel: "If the client has mentioned that he derives a lot of support from his dog, even though this is not in the report, the psychologist can give the command, 'Tell about the client's dog.' The software searches for what was said about the dog and incorporates that information in the appropriate place in the report. When the report is ready, it is sent to the ECD at the touch of a button."

Chatting with software

The platform also has an (optional) file function that stores generated call reports in a client's file. "Caregivers can chat with our software to quickly extract information from that file or prepare documents," Wegstapel said. "For example, if a psychologist hasn't had contact with his or her client for an extended period of time, he or she can ask the software to refresh his or her memory. And at the end of a mental health treatment program, the psychologist can have the software prepare a discharge letter."

Preventing Care Infarction

Ultimately, Verticai wants to support healthcare professionals in as many parts of their work process as possible. "Our goal is to make the work of healthcare professionals more enjoyable and efficient," Wegstapel said. "We take care of the reporting so they can get back to focusing fully on the patient. Working more efficiently is also necessary in order to prevent care infrastructure. The keyboard needs to get out of care!"

Information requirements differ

For now, Verticai is focusing on the mental health, social and occupational health fields. "Here we can deliver value relatively quickly, because these specialties provide fairly protocolized care," Wegstapel explains. "In time, we also want to support other domains, but that takes time, because the information requirements are not the same everywhere. After all, an orthopedist has to provide different information in the Electronic Patient Record than a pulmonologist or neurologist."

Custom

Verticai's software determines what information should be in a report for each specialty. This customization is the reason behind the company's name: Vertical Artificial Intelligence. Wegstapel: "With a horizontal approach, you create one generic solution that works for everyone. We do it differently and offer a solution specifically tailored to each specialty."

Change is exciting

Twenty organizations are currently using Verticai's platform. They pay a fixed fee per full-time equivalent (FTE) or per client. "Some users find it difficult to switch to the new way of working," Wegstapel says. "That's not because of our software, because it is perceived as user-friendly. But if you have been making reports in the same way for years, change is exciting. We guide users to get over that threshold."

Sensitive data

Interest in Verticai is growing, but at first it was difficult to convince healthcare organizations. Wegstapel: "We had to fight hard to be allowed to do a pilot. Fortunately, Trauma Center Netherlands was the first to be open to it. Even after that, potential customers were reluctant. They were concerned about data security and privacy. This is understandable, because we work with sensitive data that should not fall into the wrong hands. Once the first customers were over the line, we saw that others did not want to be left behind."

Security and privacy

How Verticai ensures that essential security and privacy? "We design our software from the start in such a way that privacy and data protection are always prioritized," Wegstapel answers. "Our servers are in Europe, so data doesn't go to America. And once data is transferred to the ECD, we delete it. Furthermore, we have obtained our ISO 27001 and NEN 7510 certification. This shows that we consider strict requirements for information security very important."

Together responsible

"We are open to cooperation," Wegstapel concludes. "For the GGZ, we already work with the client record system Medicore. It is important that suppliers in healthcare do not think only in their own lane. Together we are responsible for an optimal infrastructure that guarantees sustainable care."

Verticai is one of the startups invited by ROM Utrecht Region to participate in the Heart of Health Startup Square during Zorg & ict 2025