TORTUS —An AI co-pilot for every clinician.

We've been tracking TORTUS since they launched in late 2022, and honestly, this UK startup has surprised us with how quickly they've made real waves in healthcare AI. While most companies in this space are still figuring out basic compliance, TORTUS jumped straight into the deep end with the largest AI-scribe trial in NHS history—over 17,000 patient encounters across nine sites. That's not playing it safe; that's confidence.

What Caught Our Attention

The numbers from their NHS trial made us sit up and take notice. Clinicians spent 25% more time with patients, and A&E doctors saw 13% more patients per shift. But here's the kicker—92% of patients actually consented to having AI listen to their consultations. We've seen plenty of healthcare AI tools that work in theory, but getting real patient buy-in at that scale? That's impressive.

Their O.S.L.E.R. system (yes, they named it after the famous physician) integrates with all the major EHR platforms—Epic, EMIS, Cerner. We appreciate that they're not trying to reinvent the wheel or force healthcare providers to switch systems.

The Smart Approach

What we find clever about TORTUS is their model-agnostic strategy. Instead of building everything from scratch, they evaluate and integrate the best available AI models. It's like being the curator rather than the artist—and in fast-moving AI, that might actually be smarter than trying to do everything in-house.

They've also tackled the trust problem head-on with their CREOLA framework for clinical safety. Having a former lead specialty research physician as CEO doesn't hurt either—Dr. Dom Pimenta clearly understands both the clinical and regulatory sides of healthcare.

Room to Grow

While their current focus on note-taking and dictation is solid, we're more excited about their roadmap. They're planning to automate downstream actions like ordering tests and prescribing medications. If they can pull that off while maintaining their safety standards, it could be a game-changer.

That said, they're still relatively new, and scaling beyond the NHS will test their adaptability. Different healthcare systems have different quirks, and what works in the UK might need tweaking elsewhere.

Who Should Pay Attention

TORTUS feels tailor-made for large healthcare organizations drowning in administrative work. If you're running a hospital system and your doctors are spending more time typing than treating, this is worth a serious look. Their NHS credentials and compliance certifications make them particularly attractive for public health systems looking to modernize without compromising on safety.

For smaller practices, the value proposition might be less clear until we see more flexible pricing options. But if you're already using Epic or similar EHR systems, the integration story is compelling.