No More Telehealth Dead Ends: How KeyCare Unites Health Systems on One Seamless Platform

Imagine this: you’re a working parent whose child falls ill late in the evening. Your local health system is booked solid for days, and trying to navigate multiple telehealth apps feels overwhelming and disjointed—none of them seem to have access to each of your kids’ medical information anyways. Meanwhile, your primary healthcare organization is juggling a physician shortage and an influx of high-acuity patients with a fragmented virtual care infrastructure. The result? Longer waits, provider burnout, and patient/parental stress: countless missed opportunities to deliver care when—and where—you need it most.

KeyCare is tackling these challenges head-on by offering health systems a fully integrated network of virtual providers, all connected through their existing tech stack: Epic’s electronic health record (EHR) platform. This seemingly obvious approach helps unify care teams, reduce administrative burden, and expand patient access—yet it hasn’t been done before. By providing seamless virtual services in one consistent tech stack: patients remain within their trusted health system while overworked clinicians can do what they do best: provide consistent, timely care.

In the following Q&A, we sit down with Lyle Berkowitz, MD, KeyCare’s CEO, to learn more about how this company is bridging the gaps in virtual care—from improving patient experience to alleviating pressure on health systems. Read on to discover how KeyCare’s solution is shaping a more efficient and connected future for healthcare.

What was the driving force behind the creation of KeyCare? Was there a specific moment or challenge that inspired you to start the company?

KeyCare emerged in response to the pandemic, which introduced two key factors critical to our growth: genuine demand for telehealth and sustainable payment models. Practically overnight, every physician and patient had to rely on virtual care, leading to widespread acceptance and an understanding of its convenience. Even after returning to in-person care, studies show that two thirds of patients remain open to—or even prefer—telehealth for routine visits.

On the financial side, insurers initially needed to pay for virtual visits during lockdowns, and soon realized that telehealth could help reduce overall costs by improving access and preventing unnecessary urgent care or ER visits. 

A third piece was that every other virtual care platform in the market was on a different tech stack. 80% of patient charts and data in the U.S. lives in Epic Systems, a leading electronic health record (EHR) system used by the majority of health systems in the U.S. Epic previously built telehealth functionality and cross-organizational scheduling for their brick-and-mortar customers, and it seemed to us there was an obvious hole in the market to create this type of connective tissue for the virtual care market. Our team possesses a unique history and relationship with Epic, so we could easily share data with over 60% of health systems nationwide, accessing the vast majority of patients in the country. These three factors—demand, payment, and a unified infrastructure—were all essential to KeyCare’s launch and success.

Physician shortages and provider burnout are significant issues in healthcare today. How does KeyCare's approach to virtual care help alleviate physician burnout and enhance the overall patient experience?

Our primary goal is to improve patient access. In a world where wait times to see a physician can exceed 30 days, we can typically see patients in under 15 minutes. That alone makes a big difference in patient satisfaction. Beyond that, many people appreciate the convenience of not having to travel, pay for parking, or sit in a waiting room.

Data sharing is another major advantage. Our Virtualists have access to patient information through Epic, and any updates they make are immediately visible to a patient’s primary care physician. This unlocks virtual care that goes beyond cuts and bruises and can help support the vast majority of patients who are on multiple medications or have several comorbidities. Further, this helps maintain continuity of care and decreases the administrative burden on primary care providers (PCPs). Essentially, we serve as an extension of the care team, ensuring that patients are seen sooner while keeping their primary provider in the loop.

How did your background and experiences influence the creation of KeyCare's unified virtual care network?

Several experiences prepared me for this role. First, I’m a primary care physician who has cared for patients for more than 20 years. During that time, I helped run and expand office-based and virtual medical groups, which gave me insight into the challenges and opportunities of delivering care at scale. I also have extensive experience with Epic as a physician champion, user, and vendor partner (through my first company, healthfinch), so I understand how to integrate technology into clinical workflows. Lastly, I’ve spent my entire career in digital health entrepreneurial activities and startups. I love the excitement and energy of creating something new—and the challenge of improving the very complex arena of healthcare.

Looking back on your journey with KeyCare, what has been the most rewarding aspect of building a company that addresses such critical challenges in healthcare?

For me, it’s seeing how technology can make life easier for physicians and better for patients at the same time. I believe the real issue isn’t so much a physician shortage as it is a shortage of efficient systems. Demonstrating that we can use virtual care to increase patient access while reducing stress for doctors is incredibly gratifying.

How has your partnership with HealthX contributed to the growth and success of KeyCare, and what unique value has HealthX brought to your mission of expanding access to quality healthcare?

I’ve known Mark Bakken since he was an early investor in my previous company: healthfinch, and he’s always been a trusted mentor and advisor. When we sold that company, I knew I wanted to work with him again, especially once he started HealthX. Their team has been indispensable in helping us shape our vision and strategy, raising capital, connecting with early health system partners, and recruiting top-tier talent. HealthX’s healthcare focus and industry expertise have accelerated our growth and solidified our reputation as a leader in connected virtual care.

Looking ahead, what do you see as the most significant trends or challenges in virtual healthcare, and how is KeyCare positioned to address them?

Improving healthcare access will remain a top priority, and virtual care is a key tool for achieving that. We’ve seen “Telehealth 1.0,” where companies operate in isolation without access to past medical records, can’t easily share information with other providers, and spend a lot of money building proprietary technology and trying to create their own brands. This model is both inefficient and expensive. In contrast, KeyCare is driving “Telehealth 2.0,” creating tech-enabled virtual care teams that seamlessly integrate with health systems via Epic, enabling smooth data exchange and coordinated workflows. This delivers higher quality, more seamless patient experiences, and reduces the overall cost of care.

The greatest challenge may be sustaining the financial alignment needed for virtual care. In fee-for-service models, payers have seen that telehealth lowers costs by expanding access and reducing reliance on urgent and emergency care. In value-based models, it can easily help reduce total cost of care while increasing capacity for health systems. By focusing on interoperability and collaboration, KeyCare is positioned to help health systems and payers thrive in whichever financial model they adopt.

Learn more about KeyCare at keycare.org. Don’t miss the latest updates about the HealthX portfolio—sign up for our monthly newsletter below.