98point6 lays off employees after shifting focus last year

Seattle-based telehealth company 98point6 Technologies has laid off an unspecified number of employees.

The company confirmed the layoffs to the Business Journal on Wednesday, but did not provide additional details. 98point6 had 100 employees as of January.

The layoffs come just over a year after the company sold its original business line, which was aimed at employers, to Palo Alto, California-based telehealth company Trancarent for about $100 million.

"A number of employees transitioned to Transcarent as part of our continued partnership and to support the growth and development of our platform that was part of the acquisition last year," a 98point6 spokesperson said in a statement. "98point6 will continue to have an appropriate level of staffing as we continue to license our software to other health care organizations."

98point6's original business line connected patients to 98point6's own health care professionals. The company is now focused on licensing its technology to health care providers.

Related coverage

98point6, founded in 2015, virtually connects patients to health care, and it automates administrative tasks to free up health care workers.

Before its pivot in March of last year, 98point6 started working directly with health care providers when it announced in 2022 a partnership with Tacoma-based MultiCare Health System and its ambulatory care program, Indigo Health.

Jay Burrell, who joined 98point6 as chief commercial officer in 2020, took over the CEO role in late 2022, replacing co-founder and chairman Jeffrey Greenstein.

98point6 raised $30.7 million in April 2023. In January of this year, the company acquired assets from Portland-based Bright.md for an undisclosed amount. Bright.md allowed patients to fill out a questionnaire online about their symptoms, in turn generating a chart note for clinicians and helping patients initiate care at their convenience.