Q&A: Brett Talbot, CCO and Loren Larsen, CEO of Videra Health

RamaOnHealthcare July 31, 2024

Seeing People Differently

Today, RamaOnHealthcare talks with Brett Talbot, the co-founder and CCO of Videra Health, and Loren Larsen, the co-founder and CEO of Videra Health, the leading AI-driven mental health assessment platform. Talbot is a clinical psychologist, technology innovator, admired in the behavioral health community and a pioneer in leveraging video and artificial intelligence to assess and measure mental health. Loren Larsen is skilled in developing technologies to analyze human emotion and language. He is a vanguard in applying AI to empathetic healthcare solutions. Today, Videra Health is a pioneer in leveraging video and artificial intelligence to assess and measure mental health.

Brett Talbot, Co-Founder and CCO of Videra Health

Loren Larsen, Co-Founder and CEO of Videra Health, former CTO of HireVue

RamaOnHealthcare (ROH): Tell us about yourself and Videra Health.

Brett Talbot (BT): I am the Chief Clinical Officer and Co-founder of Videra Health. At Videra Health, we integrate AI with healthcare to provide innovative solutions for behavioral health assessment and monitoring. Our goal is to use advanced technology to enhance the accuracy, efficiency and accessibility of behavioral healthcare. By analyzing video, audio and motion data, our algorithms can detect subtle clues and patterns indicative of various health conditions, which offers a powerful tool for early diagnosis and ongoing monitoring.

As a clinical psychologist turned health tech innovator, I bring a unique perspective to the field. By collaborating with AI experts, we have developed a solution that seamlessly integrates AI with behavioral health. This approach allows technology to gather and analyze patient data, empowering providers to focus on delivering effective treatment.

Loren Larsen (LL): Videra Health is at the forefront of using AI-driven video analytics to revolutionize behavioral health assessments. Our platform leverages advanced AI to analyze facial expressions, voice tone and movement to provide accurate and timely mental health assessment. This innovative approach allows us to offer more personalized and effective care to individuals struggling with mental health issues. Prior to co-founding Videra Health, I was the CTO of HireVue and cofounded Nomi Health, experiences that deeply influenced my understanding of how technology can transform healthcare and impact lives.

ROH: How did your background/experience help you to found Videra Health?

BT: I have witnessed the challenges and gaps in mental healthcare, especially in early diagnosis and personalized treatment. Working in clinical settings, I saw the need for more precise and scalable tools to aid mental health professionals. This experience drove me to explore the potential of AI and technology in mental healthcare. By combining our clinical and AI expertise, we aim to create a platform to address these challenges and provide real value to both patients and clinicians.

LL: I’ve worked in many areas of technology. Prior to Videra Health we created a video job interviewing platform to allow applicants to get jobs that otherwise may be overlooked. Some applicants could not get an interview because of lack of recruiter availability, the applicant lacked resume writing skills, or frankly because of their name, looks, or background. AI helped level the playing field so people could be evaluated for who they are and what they can do.

We have similar issues in healthcare. There aren’t enough people to see all those needing to be seen. Traditional technology isn’t engaging or people have biases. Technology can improve that by augmenting our providers and helping them deliver better care with less work. This experience combined with my previous work to disrupt traditional healthcare has provided me with a unique perspective on the power of technology and healthcare. I honed my skills to develop empathetic AI driven solutions to analyze human emotion and language with high accuracy, leading to the creation of Videra Health.

ROH: What are some of the challenges the mental health industry is facing that makes your solution so important?

BT: The mental health industry is grappling with several significant challenges, including a shortage of qualified mental health professionals, overwhelming demand for services and the persistent stigma associated with seeking mental health care services. Additionally, traditional assessment methods are often time consuming and subjective, which can lead to delayed or inadequate care.

Videra Health’s solution addresses issues by providing a scalable, objective and efficient method to assess and monitor mental health conditions. Our AI-driven video analytics helps clinicians identify symptoms early, track progress over time and tailor interventions to individual needs. This approach improves outcomes and enhances accessibility to care, ensuring that more individuals can receive the support they need when they need it. As demand for mental health support services continues to grow, it is essential to move beyond traditional approaches and embrace technological advances to bridge the gaps in care. By leveraging AI in asynchronous video assessments, we can alleviate the burden on healthcare providers, empower patients to take an active role in their well-being and reduce the cost of accessibility barriers that prevent timely and effective care. This innovative approach is not just about transforming mental healthcare; it’s about shaping the future of the entire healthcare industry.

LL: The mental health industry faces several significant challenges that make our solution at Videra Health crucially important:

Accessibility and Availability: One of the most pressing issues is the lack of access to mental health services. Many individuals, especially in remote or underserved areas, struggle to find timely and adequate mental healthcare. Our platform leverages AI and video technology to make mental health assessments more accessible, allowing patients to receive evaluations and support, regardless of their location.

Stigma and Privacy Concerns: Stigma associated with mental health issues often deters individuals from seeking help. By providing a discrete, remote assessment option, we can reduce the barriers to seeking care. Our AI-driven assessments offer a private and non-judgmental space for individuals to express their concerns.

Consistency and Objectivity in Assessments: Traditional mental health assessments can be subjective and vary widely between practitioners. Our technology ensures a more standardized and objective evaluation, utilizing advanced AI, to analyze video and audio data with high accuracy. This consistency is essential for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment planning. By addressing these challenges, Videra Health is making mental healthcare more accessible, efficient and effective, ultimately improving the lives of those affected.

ROH: Loren, you co-authored a study that uses AI to predict depression and anxiety among mental health patients. Tell us about the predictive value of AI with respect to the patient’s responses.

LL: Our study explores the predictive power of AI and diagnosing depression and anxiety through patient video responses. Central to our research is the application of AI to video data and speech patterns, demonstrating that it can reliably predict mental health conditions traditionally assessed through static, multiple-choice questionnaires. These conventional methods often fail to engage patients effectively. By contrast, enabling patients to discuss their experiences and feelings naturally provides for more engagement and insight. AI’s ability to analyze the subtleties in speech and behavior offers a more intuitive and less burdensome assessment process. This approach not only enhances patient engagement, but also provides clinicians with richer, more precise data to inform diagnosis and treatment plans.

The predicted value of AI in this context is significant for several reasons:

Precision and Consistency: AI algorithms can analyze verbal and nonverbal cues with remarkable consistency, detecting subtle changes in tone, facial expressions and speech patterns that may be overlooked by human observers. This leads to more accurate assessments.

Early Detection: By continuously monitoring these indicators, AI can identify early signs of depression and anxiety before they become severe, allowing for timely intervention and potentially preventing more serious mental health issues.

Scalability: Traditional mental health assessments require significant time and resources from healthcare professionals. AI-driven assessments can be scaled to accommodate a large number of patients, making mental health services more accessible to those in need.

Objective Analysis: Human assessments can be influenced by bias or subjective interpretation. AI provides an objective analysis based on data, reducing the potential for such biases and ensuring a more equitable evaluation of all patients.

In our study, we demonstrated that the AI models could predict depressive and anxiety symptoms with a high degree of accuracy by analyzing recorded interviews. This approach leverages natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision to interpret the data, showcasing the potential for AI to enhance traditional mental health assessment methods.

Overall, the predicted value of AI and mental health assessment lies in its ability to provide accurate, early and scalable evaluations, thereby improving the quality and accessibility of mental healthcare.

ROH: Let’s talk specifically about PTSD. It is estimated that one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime, tell us why early detection of PTSD is essential and what role AI plays in that.

BT: Early detection of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is crucial because it can significantly improve outcomes and quality of life for those affected. PTSD can have debilitating effects on an individual’s daily functioning, relationships and overall well-being.

Early identification allows for prompt intervention, which can prevent the condition from worsening and help individuals develop coping strategies to manage their symptoms. AI can play a vital role in early detection by analyzing behavior and emotional cues from video data. AI algorithms can detect signs of PTSD such as hypervigilance, avoidance, behaviors and emotional dysregulation. By identifying the symptoms early, affected individuals can receive the care they need.

LL: PTSD affects millions of individuals and profoundly impacts their loved ones. Many people suffer without realizing their symptoms are due to PTSD, often believing they are “going crazy” or they are somehow at fault. This misunderstanding can lead to avoidance of seeking help or receiving a diagnosis, resulting in potential adverse outcomes. However, data shows many individuals with PTSD are unaware of their condition, or do not remember experiencing any traumatic events, contributing to a delay in treatment and prolonged suffering.

The potential for AI to detect trauma in a non-invasive manner holds significant promise for the future. AI can help individuals understand they are suffering from a treatable condition rather than a personal failing. This can transform feelings of shame into a sense of hope and change for the trajectory for patients.

AI’s potential lies in its ability to predict PTSD symptom trajectories based on early indicators. This could empower healthcare providers to develop personalized rehabilitation plans that adapt to individual progress and potentially accelerate recovery times.

ROH: What are the ethical considerations and safeguards in place when using AI to diagnose and treat PTSD?

LL: Ethical considerations are paramount when using AI in healthcare. Privacy and confidentiality are very important. Our platform is designed to protect patient data with robust security measures. We ensure our algorithms are transparent and free from bias, regularly auditing them to maintain fairness and accuracy. Informed consent is another critical aspect to ensure patients understand how their data will be used. The safeguards help build trust to ensure our technology is used responsibly and ethically. Our AI tools are intended to augment, not replace, the role of mental health professionals, ensuring that human judgment and empathy remains central to care.

ROH: How do you see the role of AI in mental health care evolving over the next five to ten years, particularly concerning PTSD?

BT: AI is already playing an increasing role in healthcare. This will expand over the next five to ten years. AI has the potential to revolutionize how we assess and treat PTSD. Furthermore, AI can help identify and address many related issues, such as suicidal ideation. AI-driven tools may also enhance our understanding of PTSD through data analytics and provide insights into treatment, efficacy, and trends. However, it is essential that these technologies complement, rather than replace human touch and empathy, to further affect therapeutic relationships.

LL: Exciting new treatments are on the horizon. I see the role of AI helping patients connect to care, self-identify their needs, see their own progress and keep connected to care as they need it throughout life. Being able to frequently check on how patients are doing will help us understand which treatments work best. AI will be crucial in making sure patients are getting treatment at the right times to keep them healthy and functioning at a high-level.

Videra Health website: https://www.viderahealth.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viderahealth/

More about Brett Talbot and Loren Larsen

Prior to Videra Health, Talbot was the Chief Clinical Officer and Executive Director across several prestigious healthcare organizations. His efforts include trailblazing video-based depression, anxiety, and trauma clinical assessments.

Prior to Videra Health, Larsen was the CTO of HireVue, a video job interviewing platform with advanced machine learning algorithms. He co-founded Nomi Health, a direct healthcare company innovating service and technology and developed technologies to analyze human emotion and language in applying AI to empathetic healthcare solutions.