Introducing, Sidekick by OpenHand

A desktop app that runs alongside your telehealth visit. It follows the conversation, explains medical terms as they come up, and suggests questions worth asking. Afterwards it gives you a plain-language recap of what your doctor said and what happens next.

Not in this release. Sidekick runs on the same Mac or PC you take your telehealth call on, so it needs to be a video visit on your computer. A mobile app is what we’re building next, and it is how in-person visits and telehealth on your phone will work.

No, OpenHand is not a medical-advice app. We don’t diagnose, treat, or prescribe. OpenHand is a care preparation and cost-navigation co-pilot that helps you communicate clearly with your clinician and navigate the costs of care (coverage, billing, lower-cost options) so you can save money and make better, informed decisions with your doctor. We organize your symptoms, questions, and meds into a concise summary; your clinician provides the medical expertise.

Bill review is still very much part of OpenHand, and it’s coming back soon in our mobile app. Sidekick is a new companion that sits alongside it, and it’s simply the piece we’re opening up first.

Your privacy and security is non-negotiable. OpenHand’s AI uses your information only to help you prepare for visits and navigate costs. How we protect you:

• You’re in control. You choose what to share and with whom, and you can revoke access at any time.
• No selling. No ads. We never sell your data or use it for targeted advertising.
• HIPAA-aligned by design. We use a HIPAA-compliant architecture and sign business associate agreements with required partners.
• No model training on your PHI. We don’t train foundation models on your identifiable health data. If we analyze usage to improve the product, we use de-identified and aggregated data, and you have the option to opt out of even that.
• Transparency. We’ll always tell you what’s being used and why. No surprises.

That depends where you are. Most states are one-party consent, so you can record a conversation you are part of without asking anyone. Twelve are all-party consent states, where everyone in the conversation has to agree first, and a telehealth visit can span two states at once. Either way, we ask you to tell your clinician at the start of the visit and to switch Sidekick off if they would rather you did not. Something as simple as "Is it cool if I use my healthcare notetaker that helps me understand and keep track of my care?" is enough. The majority of clinicians are fine with it once they know what it is for, because it:

• Helps you ask better questions and engage more thoughtfully in the conversation.
• Supports your follow-through on the care plan, because you can review the visit afterward.
• Promotes clarity by helping prevent misunderstandings about what was discussed.

Early access is completely free. Right now, our biggest priority is learning directly from patients so we can build the most useful experience possible. We have a limited number of invites, so we’ll be prioritizing people from the waitlist who are willing to actively use Sidekick and share feedback with us about what works, what doesn’t, and what would make it more helpful.