Interviews with Disclosure & Apology Leaders: Victor Bornstein, CEO, Justpoint

Start-up company Justpoint has been featured in recent news stories for securing one million dollars in seed funding to further their growth and development. The company uses artificial intelligence (AI) to match patients/families who are claiming medical malpractice with potential lawyers. Patients/families provide information about their cases to Justpoint, which is developing an AI process to vet cases (Was there an error or not?  Does the case have a high enough value?) and match with potential attorneys. Their model is intriguing, especially in thinking how disclosure and apology might be wrapped into this concept and also what AI can mean for improving patient safety. Sorry Works! Founder and President Doug Wojcieszak had a recent discussion with Victor Bornstein, CEO of Justpoint, and below are some excerpts from that conversation:

SW: Thank you, Victor, for doing a phone call with me today. First give us a little background on you and your company.  
VB: Thank you, Doug...good to speak with you; I have followed Sorry Works! on LinkedIn for the last couple years. When I was 7-years old my mom was hurt by medical errors. It's a very scary situation, especially for a young kid. Thankfully, she survived and is doing well today, however, that near-tragedy has always stuck with me. At Justpoint, my colleagues and I are trying to help patients and families who experience potential medical errors and are not as lucky as my mom. We use AI to review the merits and potential economic value of cases, and work to match consumers with attorneys who can help. The use of AI reduces the cost of the intake process for law firms which potentially means more cases, including lower value cases, can potentially receive justice.

SW: Cases that are low in dollar value is an important topic at Sorry Works!  A case worth $100K typically is not worth enough for a lawyer to pursue, but economic recovery in such a case could mean the difference between a family keeping their home or not.   
VB: You're right. "Low value" in the world of medical malpractice still often represents a significant sum of money for most American families, and the inability to receive compensation in such cases can be a back breaker for families living paycheck to paycheck. We need to help more of these families. Hospitals and insurers have historically dug their heels on these cases because they gamble a lawyer won't have the financial incentive to call or investigate.  Our use of AI makes more of these low value cases financially feasible for the PI Bar. Moreover, with disclosure and apology becoming more prevalent, the door is open further on these cases.  

SW: The ethical discussions in healthcare organizations as well as the insurers and law firms that serve them is beginning to change for the good. However, the world of insurance can move slow. You first tried to pitch your AI concept to insurers but met with resistance, correct?
VB: We did first meet with insurers but found cultural resistance. We have found a more open ear with the plaintiff's bar. Also, we have since spoken with some medical malpractice insurers about using AI to mine data for patient safety; our company is gathering a lot of data on patient safety.  To our surprise, however, medical malpractice insurers have not really mined their data and some of their experts tell us it will be at least five or six years before their closed-claims data will be in a state that it can be effectively mined.  

SW: It's always amazed me that medical malpractice insurers have had time and money to invest in the tort reform movement blaming patients, families, and lawyers for their woes, but they have not sufficiently studied their closed claims to better understand medical errors and how to prevent them. They have the answers to their problems in their file drawers.  
VB: Medical malpractice insurers do have the answers in their closed claims, and we would love to help them mine their data to help patients, families, and physicians and nurses. There is so much work we can do on patient safety with insurers and healthcare organizations. We are working to develop and enhance our AI system as well as awareness about our system. The disclosure and apology movement, including PI lawyers that support families in this way, can be part of our system.  At Justpoint, we want to add new thinking to the world of medical malpractice. We are committed to patient safety and helping patients and families. 

SW: We hope we can help you in your efforts, Victor. We believe disclosure and apology has a place with your company. 
VB:  Let's keep the conversation going.  Thank you.