Gestalt Diagnostics LLC is on track to double its annual revenue this year and expects to see strong growth again next year.

Dan Roark, CEO of the Spokane-based maker of software for pathologists, says, “In 2020 we are on track … for 100% growth. I think, next year, we’ll see similar growth based upon the opportunities we’re in front of.”

He declines, however, to disclose annual revenue.

Since 2017, the software developed by the startup, dubbed PathFlow, has been adopted by health care laboratories operating in more than 35 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, says Roark.

“We provide a digital pathology solution,” says Roark. “It’s a cloud-based software solution that replaces microscopes, paper, and manual workflows for disease diagnosis.”

Customers of the technology include pathology groups, research clinics, health care organizations, hospitals and hospital groups, and education facilities.

“We leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide pathologists with cell analysis data that helps them make informed decisions,” he says. 

Radiology labs adapted similar technology more than 15 years ago, says Roark.

With this technology, pathologists can eliminate the use of glass slides. Instead, specimens are displayed as digital images that pathologists can review at any time and from anywhere.

Additionally, the software is being used by a research biorepository within a large health care system. He declines to disclose the name of the company.

“This biorepository has more than 10 million tissue samples that are being digitized,” he says. “So, think of a big warehouse full of glass slides since the early ‘60s, and this is all being turned into big data to support drug discovery and clinical trials for new treatments.”

In addition to its Spokane headquarters, Gestalt has an office in Boise. The company also has employees in San Jose and Boston, says Roark. The company has nearly 20 employees across its locations and has also has contractors in the Boise area and outside the U.S., he says.

The company plans to hire five additional employees next year. 

This year aside, Roark says the company has grown 20% a year on average.

This year the company has also launched a software platform for COVID-19 test result reporting and an app for Apple iOS and Android that allows employers, schools, athletic teams, and others to manage their team members and customers during the pandemic, says Roark.

The app works by providing at-home screening to avoid having a potentially infected individual in the office or classroom, he says.

Popular Healthcare and Bako Diagnostics are among companies that have adopted the COVID-19 platform, he says, adding that some customers have used the platform to scale up testing rapidly.

Organizations Gestalt is serving include Boise State University, which is launching coronavirus testing and Crush the Curve Idaho, a statewide awareness campaign that offers testing for COVID-19, he adds.

The company also is expanding its professional services branch, which provides an interfacing database that contains patient history and electronic laboratory records, says Roark.

That portion of the company grew rapidly early last year with the acquisition of Boise-based Peak Medical Technologies, he says. Peak is a laboratory integration services company that claims to be a nationwide leader in pathology software applications and information technology support.