C-SATS

C-SATS, which stands for Crowd-Sourced Assessment of Technical Skills, provides a performance management and data analytics platform for healthcare professionals, specifically targeting surgeons and the health systems they operate in. The company operates on a subscription-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, offering its services to individual surgeons and entire hospital systems. This business model centers on enabling surgeons and institutions to securely upload surgical videos for confidential assessment.

The company's origins trace back to research conducted by a team of surgeons, engineers, and biostatisticians at the University of Washington. C-SATS was co-founded in 2014 by Derek Streat, Dr. Thomas Lendvay, Dr. Timothy Kowalewski, Dr. Lee White, and Bryan Comstock. Derek Streat, the CEO, is a serial entrepreneur who was motivated to fix problems in healthcare after a personal family health crisis with his daughter. This experience led him to partner with Dr. Lendvay, who was developing the core technology. A pivotal moment in the company's formation was a grant from the Washington Research Foundation, which was an early investor alongside others like The W Fund and Founders Co-op. Before its acquisition, C-SATS had raised approximately $6.4 million.

A significant milestone occurred in April 2018 when Johnson & Johnson acquired C-SATS for an undisclosed amount, integrating it into the Johnson & Johnson Institute's digital learning and education offerings. The platform is designed to be device-agnostic, allowing seamless video capture from any Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) system. Once a surgical procedure is recorded, the video is securely uploaded to a private, HIPAA-compliant, and HITRUST CSF® Certified cloud-based library. Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms are then used to remove patient data and segment the video into key procedural steps for analysis. The core service involves providing objective, near-real-time feedback on a surgeon's technical skills from vetted expert surgeons and crowd-sourced reviewers. This process helps to eliminate the potential for bias found in traditional internal peer reviews. Surgeons receive detailed analytics and performance trend data through a personal dashboard, allowing them to benchmark their skills, identify areas for improvement, and earn continuing education credits. The platform also fosters a community where surgeons can review expert case studies and interact with peers.

Keywords: surgical data management, surgical skills improvement, surgeon performance review, healthcare analytics, MedTech, digital surgery, clinical data analytics, surgical coaching, surgical video analysis, professional medical education, Crowd-Sourced Assessment of Technical Skills, Johnson & Johnson Institute, University of Washington spinout, HIPAA-compliant platform, HITRUST certified, surgical proficiency, minimally invasive surgery, continuing medical education, healthcare SaaS, Derek Streat, Dr. Thomas Lendvay