Helping Patients Feel Less Lost: Jeff Taylor on Orbita’s Role in Human-Centered AI for Healthcare
Imagine waking up and you are not well. Instead of sitting on hold with your clinic or navigating a confusing portal, you open a secure chat on your phone. A friendly, intelligent assistant asks a few questions, helps you book an appointment, and walks you through what to expect—before, during, and after your visit. No unanswered questions. No unnecessary calls. No long ambiguous hold times. Just care, made simple.
That’s the kind of experience Jeff Taylor, CEO of Orbita, is working to bring to patients across the country. With a background that bridges frontline care and health tech, Jeff understands just how much patient outcomes depend on engagement—and how digital tools can either help or hinder that connection.
At HealthX Ventures, we invest in companies like Orbita because they rethink how healthcare is delivered—making it more accessible, more personalized, and more efficient for everyone involved. From digital front doors to empathetic, agentic AI that guides patients like a GPS through the system, Orbita is quietly modernizing the patient journey.
In the Q&A below, Jeff shares his vision for where healthcare is headed, the next frontier in voice and empathetic AI, and the mindset shifts he believes the industry needs to fully embrace innovation. This conversation is especially timely, as AI enters a new era—not of hype, but of proven, enterprise-grade value. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by healthcare—and wondered if it could be better—this one’s for you.
Jeff, you've held leadership roles across health tech for years. Can you share one career experience that helped shape the way you think about patient engagement today?
JT: I think I bring a unique perspective because of my background—starting as a healthcare provider and then moving into the tech space. I’ve seen firsthand how a patient’s level of engagement directly affects outcomes. If we don’t do a good job of engaging patients where they are—making sure they understand what’s expected of them—then we can’t expect better outcomes. We want patients to follow their care plan as intended: and yet our care delivery system makes that extremely difficult to do. The care plan is there for a reason.
What was the aha moment that convinced you to join Orbita rather than another digital health company?
JT: For me, it came down to one word: impact. There’s always been a disconnect between providers and patients—whether it’s in the relationship itself, the clarity of communication, or whether patients feel truly heard and understood: it’s often exacerbated by systemic failures in how we provide care. That gap can have real consequences, and it’s one I’ve experienced personally.
A few years ago, during the last six months of my father’s life, I saw that communication breakdown up close. Every morning at 6 a.m., I’d be at his nursing home to help him get ready for the day—coordinating care between specialists, navigating transitions from hospital to home and back again. That time with him was incredibly meaningful, but it also exposed just how fragmented the system is: despite providers doing their best, the system itself was flawed. Patients and families are often left to bridge the gap.
That experience left a lasting impression on me. When I looked at Orbita, I saw a company directly addressing that communication divide—using empathetic AI and thoughtful engagement to make patients feel seen, supported, and guided—in a way that was simultaneously accessible and scalable. That mission hit home for me in a big way. Joining Orbita wasn’t just a career decision—it was personal.
What differentiates Orbita from Epic’s patient engagement modules?
JT: We’re deeply focused on patient engagement. Epic does a lot of great things, but this is our core. Meaningful engagement is where we’ve invested our T.E.A.M.—our time, energy, attention, and money. Because of that focus, we’re able to engage patients in ways that not a lot of other organizations can. We’ve been through multiple iterations of the platform and learned what works across real-world deployments. That maturity is reflected in how we deliver now—enterprise-ready, scalable, and deeply empathetic.
Can you give an example of how Orbita helps a patient get through their care journey, or connect with care more quickly?
JT: We engage patients from the very beginning of their journey and guide them step-by-step. They can see what tasks they need to complete, how long those tasks will take, and that gives them more confidence and clarity. It’s not just helpful for the patient—it also relieves a lot of administrative burden on nurses, administrative staff, and physicians. Take this for example: a patient engages with a digital assistant, completes the intake process, and gets scheduled for a virtual consult far sooner than usual. That early consult means they can get treatment—or even a surgery—scheduled faster, with better outcomes and less stress.
What efficiencies need to be gained in healthcare to create a better experience for patients?
JT: Healthcare is heavily regulated, with a lot of government and payer involvement, which makes it hard for providers to deliver care the way they want to. On top of that, we’re often held back by fear—fear of change. We talk a lot about innovation, but we adopt it slowly. If we want to make a real, timely impact, we need to take more risks. We have to stop being afraid to try new approaches. Our earliest customers did this and it’s working beautifully for their patients and providers alike.
Orbita’s platform now handles everything from symptom triage to post-visit follow-up. What’s the next frontier you’re most eager to tackle in the next year or two?
JT: We see a lot of potential in going deeper with voice. Orbita actually started with voice technology and has been working in AI for over nine years. With recent market maturation, we’re now able to focus on deploying AI and avatars with empathy to help with patient intake—gathering rich patient histories, medication lists, and more—to generate suggested care plans for physician review. That helps doctors work at the top of their license, focusing on complex cases. We think this is the kind of behind-the-scenes, patient-centered intelligence that moves the needle and is deeply transformative in healthcare.
As AI matures, where do you see the greatest opportunity to improve health system margins without sacrificing human connection?
JT: First, we have to acknowledge that human connection can’t be replaced. But AI can help us connect better—through data analytics, summarizing patient information, and helping us understand who we’re trying to reach. There’s understandable concern around AI, and we absolutely need strong governance to protect patient data. But if we use it to enhance communication and outcomes—while keeping that human touch—we can achieve more, with better results.
If you could change one mindset across the industry to accelerate digital transformation, what would it be?
JT: I think a lot of us have become numb to digital transformation. There’s so much tech out there that it’s caused fatigue. We’ve shifted into a mode of overly cautious, calculated risk-taking. That might sound reasonable, but often it leads to only small, safe moves—incremental changes. And those decisions come from a place of preservation. People don’t want to lose their jobs by pushing too hard or making bold bets. But the truth is, real transformation requires courage—and a willingness to move the 900-pound gorilla, even if it’s hard.
How has your partnership with HealthX Ventures contributed to Orbita’s growth and success?
JT: HealthX is more than an investor—they’re a true partner. They’ve brought us strategic introductions that sparked new innovation. They’ve offered guidance from their broad experience across sectors, and often confirmed the direction we’re heading. That kind of validation gives us the confidence to push harder and go further. The partnership has been incredibly valuable, well beyond the capital investment.
Learn more about Orbita at orbita.ai. Don’t miss the latest updates about the HealthX portfolio—sign up for our monthly newsletter below.
Photo by Daniel Dalea on Unsplash
