From Fighter Pilot Dreams to Frontline Medicine
Dr. Kit Kieling’s professional journey began at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he planned to follow his family legacy of military aviation. A senior-year heart condition changed everything, steering him toward medicine—a field he'd never previously considered. That pivotal moment launched a career that would take him from Walter Reed Hospital to intensive care units in Iraq and Afghanistan.
From Acute Care to Data Strategy
After a decade in acute pediatric care, Dr. Kieling transitioned from bedside medicine to strategy consulting at McKinsey, then into startup leadership. As co-founder of Orderly Health, he focused on solving provider directory data issues—an experience that equipped him with the operational and tech lens he now brings to SmarterDx.
A True AI-Powered Platform
What drew him to SmarterDx? The company’s genuine application of artificial intelligence. “AI is often just a buzzword,” he said, noting how many slap it onto human-powered processes. SmarterDx, by contrast, built an AI "clinical brain" that replicates clinical reasoning, leveraging transformer technology to deeply evaluate healthcare data in the revenue cycle.
The Evolving CMIO Role
While the CMIO title is relatively new, Dr. Kieling sees it as essential in bridging clinical expertise with digital innovation. At SmarterDx, he ensures clinicians’ perspectives are central—from product development to client success. Whether coordinating with nurse leaders or clinician data scientists, his mission is to align data-driven tools with real-world care delivery.
Fixing Revenue Cycle Disparities with AI
Though not drawn to revenue cycle management by choice, Dr. Kieling is energized by the mission. As payers increasingly use AI to deny claims in seconds, SmarterDx aims to level the playing field. With over 8,000 clinical reasoning algorithms, the platform acts as a copilot for coding and CDI teams—and has potential to aid doctors at the bedside in real-time clinical decisions.
Vision and Backing That Matter
Backed by New Mountain Capital and aligned with other Smarter Technologies companies like Thoughtful AI and Access, SmarterDx isn’t just innovating—it’s scaling strategically. Dr. Kieling emphasized the rare alignment between leadership vision and investor understanding as a core reason for his excitement about the future.
