Albuquerque health tech startup names new COO as it eyes national expansion

Albuquerque-based health tech startup Karoo Health has named digital health executive Pia Shivdasani as its new chief operating officer, the company announced Wednesday.

Shivdasani most recently served as vice president of operations at Boulder Care, a company providing addiction treatment via telehealth based in Portland, Oregon, with stints at health investment firm Echo Health Ventures and nonprofit health care company Cambia Health Solutions, according to her LinkedIn page.

Karoo Health CEO and co-founder Ian Koons praised Shivdasani’s “distinctly unique and highly valuable perspective” in a statement.

“We are fortunate to have her on board as we continue to scale nationally,” he said.

Karoo, formed in 2021, maintains a platform that enables providers to manage comprehensive, coordinated support services for patients with heart disease. The digital system connects health care providers to share information relating to a patient’s care plan through text-based communication.

Shivsdani’s appointment comes as Karoo has eyed expansion of its technology across the country. In February, the startup announced it had partnered with Zing Health to bring its cardiac value-based care platform to Zing’s Medicare Advantage members in Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Last year, Karoo also announced it had partnered with New York-based Heartbeat Health, a cardiology care company operating the nation’s largest decentralized platform.

In a statement, Shivdasani said she was “energized” by the company’s mission to improve cardiac care.

“Patients navigating cardiac care need consistent, coordinated support beyond the clinical visit,” Shivdasani said, noting the importance of “integrated provider partnerships, tailored patient interactions, and technology that empowers care teams to deliver more connected, effective care.”

Shivdasani replaces former Karoo COO Chentelle Lane, who left the company after two years in October, according to her LinkedIn page. The following month, Lane filed a lawsuit against Karoo Health, alleging the company owed her $100,000 in unpaid wages. The case was dismissed with prejudice in April; court documents indicate the two parties reached a private agreement.

A Karoo spokesperson declined to respond directly to the allegations made in the lawsuit, but told the Journal the company is “focused on the future and excited for our new COO to join the team.”