How Hippo is Restoring the Human Connection in Virtual Care

In today’s fragmented healthcare environment, it can be easy to forget that healthcare is fundamentally about people. Behind every chart, diagnosis, or prescription is a human being who wants to feel seen, heard, and cared for. However, the pressure to maximize efficiency and reduce costs has often turned what should be a deeply human experience into a transactional one.

It does not have to be this way.

“Medical care should be highly personal, effective, and efficient,” says Patrick Quinlan, MD, CEO of Hippo Technologies Inc. “People want to be understood, and those who care for them must understand them.”

At Hippo Technologies, this principle forms the foundation of Hippo Coactive Care™, a next-generation care model built on the belief that strong, interdependent relationships – not isolated interventions – lead to better outcomes.

A Collaborative, Human-Centered Model

True care happens in the context of trust. It begins with eye contact, active listening, and hands-on evaluation, the kind of experience patients expect and deserve.

“A proper physical examination creates two essential results,” says Dr. Quinlan. “It yields information and is a path to a personal relationship.”

Unfortunately, many telemedicine platforms sacrifice this intimacy. The typical tablet-based visit omits the physical exam, creating distance rather than connection. The result is a lower standard of care that may miss key diagnostic clues or alienate patients from their providers.

Hippo Coactive Care changes that.

Coactive Care restores the integrity of the clinical encounter by combining next-generation virtual care technology with a team-based model that puts people first. At its core is the “circle of care,” a collaborative structure that brings together patients, caregivers, Clinician Extenders™, and remote specialists. Each member of the care team works in sync, enabled by Hippo’s augmented reality (AR) platform.

The Hippo headset offers hands-free, voice-activated collaboration that gives remote experts a “you are there” perspective. This makes it possible to conduct real-time physical exams, guide treatments, and support patient education with the clarity and context of an in-person visit.

Technology that Enhances, Not Replaces, Relationships

The goal of Hippo’s technology is not to replace clinicians – but rather extend their presence and effectiveness. The platform allows remote physicians to work closely with Clinician Extenders who are physically present with the patient. Together, they build trust, gather critical information, and deliver care with the empathy and nuance that only human connection allows.

“Serving a patient requires that we are personal, efficient, and effective,” says Dr. Quinlan. “Each is a necessity, and together they maximize the benefit to patients and their families.”

By supporting real physical exams and meaningful conversation, Hippo enables the kind of care that earns a patient’s confidence, improves adherence to treatment, and can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Designed for Real-World Impact

Hippo Coactive Care is not a theory. It is practical, scalable, and transformative. It is already being used to:

• Improve outcomes in nursing homes and rural clinics
• Reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions
• Increase patient access and care team efficiency
• Extend specialty care into homes and under-resourced communities

Instead of repurposing hospital-based processes for remote care, Coactive Care is purpose-built for where healthcare is increasingly happening: outside the hospital.

One of the most profound benefits of this relationship-based model is its ability to shift care from reaction to prevention. When patients feel seen, they are more likely to open up about concerns, follow care plans, and recognize early warning signs.

“Starting conversations early helps normalize sensitive and complex topics,” says Dr. Quinlan. “These discussions also help families recognize and respond to warning signs before a situation becomes a crisis.”

When care becomes a collaboration rather than a transaction, patients stop being passive recipients and become active participants in their health journeys.

A New Standard of Care

The healthcare industry is at a crossroads. We can continue to treat care as a commodity, or we can return to its roots: compassion, connection, and clinical excellence.

Hippo Coactive Care offers a compelling path forward. It brings the hospital to the home, enables stronger clinician-patient relationships, and empowers care teams to work as one.

“Serving a patient requires that we are personal, efficient, and effective. Good medical care requires that we achieve all three components because each is a necessity. They are also interdependent. Together, they maximize the benefit to patients and their families. This is not a menu where, ‘I’ll take number two’ – it is a requirement to achieve all three for optimal results,” says Dr. Quinlan.

With Hippo, healthcare can finally be what it was always meant to be: a relationship built on trust, powered by connection, and guided by care.

If your post-acute telehealth programs are underperforming, try Hippo Coactive Care to restore the patient and caregiver connection that people need for better healthcare.