Patient engagement & telehealth · Virtual pulmonary rehab
Kivo Health
Kivo Health runs a nine-week virtual pulmonary rehabilitation program for older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with live therapist-led video sessions, equipment shipped home, and coverage from Medicare, Medicaid, and many private plans.
Strong fit
- Older adults with COPD who cannot travel to a rehab center
- Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans that want fewer COPD hospital stays
- Pulmonologists who want a home option for rehab referrals
Weak fit
- Patients who want in-person rehab with a therapist in the room
- People with lung conditions other than COPD, for now
- Patients who prefer exercise on their own schedule without live sessions
Bottom line
Kivo Health brings pulmonary rehab home for older adults with COPD, with live video classes led by therapists and coverage from Medicare and major insurers. It suits patients who would otherwise skip rehab because the nearest program is too far away. Its outcome evidence so far comes from one peer-reviewed study and a cost analysis the company funded.
Score breakdown
Weights: Outcomes 35% · Product 30% · Implementation 20% · Pricing clarity 15%.
Kivo Health is used by older adults with COPD, an incurable lung disease that makes breathing harder over time. Kivo ships equipment to the patient's home and runs a nine-week program of live video sessions led by therapists, covering exercise, breathing techniques, and managing the disease, with support after the program ends, according to GeekWire. The company says it uses AI for administrative tasks and patient messages.
Kivo's website says the program is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Blue Cross, Aetna, Priority Health, Clover Health, and other plans, and that many patients pay nothing out of pocket. Kivo checks each patient's coverage before they start.
The closest competitors are Health Recovery Solutions, CoachCare, HealthSnap, and Tenovi, which sell remote monitoring and virtual care tools for chronic conditions.
Dr. Victor Sadauskas, a former Kaiser Permanente emergency physician, founded Kivo in Seattle in 2023 with chief technology officer Vaughn Koch, who sold his earlier startup Movity to Trulia in 2010. On October 27, 2026 Kivo announced a $10 million Series A led by Allumia Ventures, with Corewell Health Ventures, Y Combinator, Heuristic Capital, and MassMutual Ventures, bringing total funding to more than $16 million. It has about 50 employees, including clinicians.
Kivo reports that a peer-reviewed study of its program found better symptoms, physical function, and mental health, and an analysis it funded estimated savings of $8,245 per member a year from fewer hospital stays, emergency visits, and nursing home days. Sadauskas told GeekWire the new money will build an AI health coach to work alongside its clinicians.
What patients say
"The class made me more confident about 'I can handle this, you know, I can do this,' and taking away that panic that's associated with trouble breathing is a huge benefit for me." A Kivo patient, quoted on Kivo's website.
Competitor landscape
| Vendor | Overall | Ease of implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Health Recovery Solutions | 7.8 | 7.6 |
| CoachCare | 7.6 | 7.5 |
| HealthSnap | 7.5 | 7.6 |
| Kivo Health | 7.4 | 7.0 |
| Tenovi | 7.3 | 7.3 |
Pricing
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | Kivo bills Medicare, Medicaid, or the patient's health plan for the program. |
| What usually drives cost | Your plan's copay or coinsurance for pulmonary rehab. |
| What to ask before you buy | Ask Kivo to check your coverage and tell you your copay before you start. |
| Published pricing | Kivo publishes no cash price. It says many patients pay $0. |
Leadership
- Victor Sadauskas, MDCo-founder and CEO
- Vaughn KochCo-founder and CTO
Methodology
| Weight | Factor | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| 35% | Customer outcomes | Whether buyers get measurable operational or clinical-workflow results after go-live |
| 30% | Product | Capability depth, reliability, and fit for the job the category buys |
| 20% | Implementation | How hard it is to stand up, integrate, train, and stabilize |
| 15% | Pricing clarity | Whether a buyer can model total cost without a mystery quote |
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Highly recommend | Strong outcomes and product with manageable caveats |
| Recommend | Solid fit for the right buyer; know the tradeoffs |
| Conditional | Only with a specific use case or heavy caveats |
| Not recommended | Avoid for most buyers in this category |
Read our full methodology for how we weight scores and assign recommend labels.