Pediatric speech-language-hearing pathologist Leanne Shered has long faced challenges in implementing caregiver-led therapy in traditional care settings.
Research shows that caregiver-led speech therapy, which trains patients' caregivers in skill-building therapy techniques to use at home, can be highly effective, but Shered has observed in his clinical practice that therapists have limited access to caregivers and face significant educational and technical obstacles.
At the start of the pandemic in 2020, Shered saw an opportunity to test a new, technology-first model of speech therapy care that would put caregivers “at the center of care,” in Shered's words. She teamed up with Nick Barbara (Shered's spouse), Spencer McGloff, and Ryan Hinojosa to found Expressable, a platform that offers one-on-one virtual sessions with speech-language pathologists.
“Expressable layers a platform on top of synchronous care that includes multimedia home programming, interactive weekly practice activities, therapist SMS support and more,” Magloff, Expressable's chief marketing officer, told TechCrunch in an interview. “With Expressable, speech therapy isn't limited to once or twice a week without caregiver participation.”
Expressable is covered by some insurance plans (including Medicaid) but also offers private payment rates and accepts HSAs and FSAs. Expressable matches patients with speech therapists who can meet the patient's needs and fit their schedule. The matched therapist creates a treatment plan and then meets with the patient and their caregivers in regular online sessions.
Image credit: Expressable
Parts of the plan are designed to be implemented by patients on their own time through Exressable's self-service platform, where patients and caregivers can track progress against individualized plan goals and milestones on a week-by-week basis.
Expressable, which serves adult and pediatric patients with conditions ranging from language disorders to speech delays, aphasia, stuttering, and autism spectrum disorders, differentiated itself early on from many other telehealth startups by hiring health professionals as W2 employees rather than contractors. This put an additional burden on Expressable's medical licensing, but it also positioned it to successfully handle difficult speech-disorder cases, which often require intensive, years-long treatment plans, Magloff says.
“Expressable allows parents and caregivers to become active members of a patient's care team, extending care at home and throughout the treatment journey and achieving faster results,” Magloff says.
The digital and telehealth sector, which had free access to capital during the pandemic, has now seen a notable cooling, but Expressable bucked the trend, closing a $26 million Series B round earlier this week led by HarbourVest Partners, with participation from Digitalis Ventures, F-Prime Capital and Lerer Hippeau.
With $50 million in the bank, Expressable plans to improve its care delivery model and core technology, expand payer relationships, and grow its network of therapists and operations team. The company is also experimenting with various forms of AI, Magloff said.
“There are several relevant AI use cases we are currently exploring or adapting to improve our clients' experience,” he added. “These can help catalog common speech errors, reduce administrative burden for clinicians, and improve operational efficiency.”