Kinetik is a company that is reimagining the way Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) works. The company has partnered with health plans, brokers, and transportation providers nationwide to develop the largest digitally integrated healthcare transportation network in the country. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Kinetik CEO Sufian Chowdhury to learn more about the company.
Sufian Chowdhury’s Background
What is Sufian Chowdhury’s background? Chowdhury said:
“I have a deep desire to change the world for the better and help people. Growing up with not much, my family relied on Medicaid. When you depend on social aid, you don’t question it because you see it as a handout — something you can’t afford to lose. This experience instilled in me understanding and empathy for those who rely on these services. We are serving those who don’t have anything.”
“Now, I’m a serial entrepreneur whose passion lies in improving the world through innovative technology. I graduated from Berkeley College with a degree in finance and began my career working with a network of health systems and physician organizations, including New York Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC). While there, I worked on M&A efforts, where dozens of physician organizations were acquired by WCMC.”
“After two years working on M&A deals with NYP and WCMC, I joined a pre-IPO ad-tech company, Collective Media, as a business development manager, overseeing sourcing and placing digital ads on behalf of several dozen high-profile clients. Simultaneously, I co-founded LetsApply, an online college application platform that simplified the college application process for millions of students across the country. Additionally, prior to founding Kinetik, I co-founded Inlingoo, a language-learning platform headquartered in Norway.”
Formation Of Kinetik
How did the idea for the company come together? Chowdhury shared:
“My friend, who worked for a Brooklyn-based non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) taxi company, asked for my help updating a massive Excel database. It was the largest spreadsheet I had ever seen, and I immediately recognized a billing problem. I offered to fix his database if he agreed to use the app I was building. While he didn’t need the app himself, he introduced me to his network of transportation providers who did.”
“I discovered that Medicaid patients had to book rides 48-72 hours in advance. Imagine waiting 72 hours for an Uber — you’d rather walk. Just because these are non-emergency rides and don’t require an ambulance doesn’t mean they aren’t critical. These rides are essential for dialysis, chemotherapy, behavioral health, rehab, and more. Delays could be life-threatening. This realization made me question the status quo.”
“To understand the industry’s inner workings, I spent time at various taxi companies, learning their processes and even riding and driving for them. I then collaborated with my co-founders to develop the first Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) platform for NEMT. What used to take over 40 hours to bill now takes only about two hours with our RCM, providing greater operational visibility.”
“When COVID hit, we had to pivot. This challenge expanded my vision to digitize the NEMT marketplace, creating a digital infrastructure where healthcare rides can be requested in real-time and covered by insurance.”
“The outdated healthcare transportation system is rife with fraud, waste, and abuse. Our goal is to eliminate these issues with our innovative ecosystem.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? What differentiates the company from its competition? Chowdhury explained:
“Our software suite is designed as a synchronized ecosystem that provides interoperability between technologies used by all stakeholders including health plans, members, transportation brokers, healthcare providers, and transportation providers.”
“There are different components to our platform that make us unique.
— First, our Trip Scheduler, used by health plans, insurance companies, hospitals, and brokers, is customizable for each customer type based on needs and region. It also focuses on automation to reduce human error and patient no-shows. One of the most important things to note is that Trip Scheduler provides visibility and transparency into real-time ride updates and GPS data (similar to Uber and Lyft), which solves a major pain point for health plans today.
— Our Trip Assistant is used by transportation providers to accept rides from multiple sources, such as insurance companies and hospitals. An ongoing issue for transportation providers is porting from one platform to another, but Trip Assistant acts as a centralized layer and can provide real-time communication and updates about trips, which is helpful in reducing fraud.
— Our RCM feature is used by transportation providers to speed up asking for claims. Health claims typically take 2-4 weeks and many small businesses cannot survive if they are not paid on time. RCM helps with re-submissions, catching errors ahead of time, and reducing overall rejection rates on claims, which helps to ensure timely payments. It eliminates the need for a billing team that does manual claims.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Chowdhury and the team faced in building the company? Chowdhury acknowledged:
“We launched our company in 2018 as an RCM platform. When COVID-19 hit, we faced a significant challenge: ride requests plummeted by 70%. During pitches, potential clients would laugh and say, “We don’t even have rides to manage.” The entire industry struggled, with brokers and transport companies particularly hard-hit. Recognizing the need to adapt, we decided to pivot and double down on developing our Trip Assistant and Trip Scheduler. While we knew it would take us longer to reach profitability, we had to bet on ourselves that it would pay off in the long run. And it has.”
“Another challenge we face is navigating the complexities of the current healthcare system and its political landscape. Many health plans are locked into contracts lasting 1-5 years, resulting in an extended sales cycle. Additionally, since our approach is unprecedented, we need to find partners willing to take a leap of faith and pilot our technology to demonstrate its effectiveness. Fortunately, we have secured two significant contracts, positioning us well to drive real change in the industry in 2025 and beyond.”
Evolution Of Kinetik’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Chowdhury noted:
Our flagship product, RCM, has become more sophisticated and efficient. Additionally, we’ve expanded our product line to include the Trip Assistant and Trip Scheduler. We are also excited to introduce Kinetik Financial Services (KFS), which enables drivers to get paid in as little as 24 hours. As we continue to learn and grow, we are constantly enhancing all of our offerings by incorporating more advanced technology and AI.
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Chowdhury cited:
“Annually, we process over 7 million healthcare rides through Kinetik, as well as process over $300 million in claims. We have over 3,000 payor partners that include Medicaid, Medicare, and other insurance providers nationwide.”
“To-date, we’ve raised over $30 million in capital to support the growth of Kinetik, and have doubled in size over the last couple of years, reaching nearly 100 employees across three countries, and 300% revenue growth YoY over the past three years.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Chowdhury concluded:
“Our future goals revolve around realizing our vision of a world where you can request a healthcare ride in real-time and have it covered by insurance. To achieve this, we plan to collaborate closely with health plans, MCOs, and CCOs, enhancing the member experience and ensuring people have access to these essential rides.”
