Barti Software has secured $12 million in Series A funding to further develop its electronic health record (EHR) platform tailored for eyecare professionals (ECPs).
Here’s a quick overview of Barti.
Based in San Francisco, California, Barti is a venture-backed software startup originally created to offer an EHR system specifically for optometry practices. Notably, its co-founder and chief operating officer, Kelly Cai, OD, is an optometrist.
Since 2021, Barti has developed an all-in-one practice management platform crafted by—and for—eyecare professionals (ECPs), including optometrists (ODs), ophthalmologists (MDs), opticians, and other specialists across the United States.
Its mission is to simplify and tailor EHRs specifically for eyecare practices, helping ECPs spend less time on administrative tasks and more time focused on patient care. To date, Barti’s software has been implemented in over 200 practices.
Before diving into the software, let’s take a look at the financing.
The $12 million funding round was led by Five Elms Capital, a growth investor based in Kansas City, Missouri, known for investing over $3 billion in more than 70 software platforms worldwide.
Beyond capital, Five Elms provides strategic and operational support to help its portfolio companies enhance growth, customer retention, product development, and AI capabilities for sustained success.
Now, let’s explore the Barti platform—what makes it stand out in the industry?
Two words: artificial intelligence (AI).
Barti’s flagship platform features built-in AI-assisted charting for ECPs, powered by an AI scribe.
This scribe transcribes consultations in real-time and creates precise medical notes for clinicians to review later.
What about its capabilities?
The platform includes a variety of specialized features designed to facilitate seamless integration into practices while supporting the workflows and requirements of subspecialty areas like myopia management, vision therapy, and binocular vision.
Here are some key features offered in the basic version of the software:
- Billing and Inventory: Clearinghouse integration for submitting medical claims and tracking invoices and claims within a single system.
- Calendar: Real-time access to ECP availability and digital appointment requests from patients.
- Exam: Flexible, auto-populated notes with machine integration for faster, simplified charting, including dedicated specialty templates.
- Messaging: Two-way, HIPAA-compliant messaging platform that sends customized automated reminders to patients.
- Optical and Contact Lens Ordering: Integrated supplier system for frames and contact lenses that tracks inventory and notifies clinicians, while sending order status notifications to patients.
- Patient Intake: Customizable, mobile-friendly patient intake forms that patients can complete before appointments.
- Voice Call Log: AI-powered Office Copilot (developed with Google Cloud Platform) automates scheduling by booking appointments and managing call logs.
Additionally, last fall the company introduced an industry-first feature: a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system that allows ECPs to make and receive phone calls directly through the platform.
Impressive! And hasn’t the platform also secured another investment recently?
More than that—an endorsement as well.
The investor: AOAExcel, the for-profit arm of the American Optometric Association (AOA).
Notably, this marked the organization’s very first financial investment in an EHR company.
Great! So, what are the company’s plans with this new funding?
Thanks to its partnership with Five Elms Capital, Barti aims to expand its EHR platform into ophthalmology practices by:
- Scaling its go-to-market efforts
- Growing its team across key functions
- Accelerating the development of new AI capabilities and workflow automation
- Introducing more integrated features to enhance efficiency for eyecare practice users
As Colton Calandrella, CEO and co-founder of Barti, stated: “Our goal is to automate over 80% of routine administrative tasks using our tools, including AI agents, so practitioners can focus more on patient care without being burdened by repetitive paperwork.”
Stay tuned for more updates!
