Tech firm opens in Reno

Healthcare technology company Grand Rounds opened a new center last week in South Reno, touting the new venture as a way to drive more efficient ways for patients to connect with top medical experts.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, economic development officials, business owners and others were on hand to welcome officials and employees of San Francisco-based Grand Rounds when it opened for business. The company is expected to add up to 200 jobs in the region.

The company’s web-based platform is intended to give employees of customer companies like Costco access to the highest-quality second-opinion specialists.

“We want to make everyone a medical insider,” said Rusty Hoffman, MD. Hoffmann co-founded Grand Rounds with the goal of ensuring that access to state-of-the-art care is available to everyone, not just the rich and privileged. When he isn’t helping run Grand Rounds, he’s chief of interventional radiology at Stanford University Hospital.

“Expanding into Reno is a major milestone for Grand Rounds, and the northern Nevada community has met us with open arms,” said Owen Tripp, CEO of the company. “We have already hired many incredibly talented local employees and we look forward to growing the team rapidly as we pursue our vision of guiding all patients to better health and health care.”

Company officials said the main reason for expanding to Reno was the city’s accessibility to talent and the abundant work space, something that’s hard to come by in competitive areas like Silicon Valley, which is home to tech giants like Apple and Google.

In terms of its future economic impact, the company said it expects to generate a payroll of $8 million annually once it staffs up to 200 employees. Leading up to the announcement, Grand Rounds invested in $750,000 in building improvements and equipment.

Officials said Grand Rounds’ expansion to the area helps foster other efforts to create a hub of innovation.

“This is a landmark day for us. You marry medicine with technology and hit it out of the park,” said Gov. Sandoval. “This is a big win for us,” he said of the work involved in recruiting the company to the area.

“The healthcare sector is exploding nationally so it is exciting to see Reno-Sparks recognized as a great fit for a company like Grand Rounds, a leader in this industry,” said Mike Kazmierski, CEO of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada.

The Grand Rounds name comes from the tradition at teaching hospitals of inviting top medical experts to lecture about the latest technology or treatment. The practice goes back to a tradition begun at Johns Hopkins where a patient would sit in the middle of an amphitheater surrounded by specialists who would work together to find a diagnosis.

Ken Berland, the company’s head of engineering, said the business, founded in 2011, now is reinventing the world of grand rounds online. He said many of the staff members locally will be developing and testing the company’s software.

Danielle Snow, the company’s vice president of care operations, said employers provide the revenue stream for the business. “They purchase us as a benefit for their employees,” she explained.

Heavily involved with employee recruitment, Snow said the company has launched with 30 employees already onboard. “Everyone needs to be tech savvy to work here, but you don’t need to be an engineer,” she said of the staff members, who will be able to negotiate information technology and talk to patients.

The new facility is located on Professional Circle in the South Meadows area. Candidates seeking to become part of the Grand Rounds team will find job information at www. Grandrounds.com/careers.