Europe’s healthcare systems are at a tipping point. Aging populations, rising chronic diseases, and acute staff shortages are straining capacity and threatening the quality of patient care. As pressure mounts, the need for efficiency and innovation in medical workflows has never been greater. At the intersection of this crisis and technological opportunity stands Gosta Labs, a Finnish startup using artificial intelligence to reshape healthcare documentation and clinician workflow for the digital age.
For physicians across Europe—and worldwide—the time spent documenting care often approaches or exceeds the time spent with patients. In Finland, it is estimated that physicians can spend up to half their workday on administrative duties, a sentiment echoed in numerous peer-reviewed studies from across Europe and North America. This documentation overload, exacerbated by increasingly complex regulatory and reimbursement requirements, drains clinical productivity and limits face-to-face patient interactions, the cornerstone of quality care.
Healthcare professionals and system administrators have long recognized this challenge. Yet, workflow reforms and digitization initiatives have frequently led to new, sometimes more convoluted, digital paperwork and user interfaces. As the European healthcare workforce grapples with shortages, burnout, and increasing patient demand, the search for a scalable solution is urgent.
By 2023, advances in large language models (LLMs) and machine learning software converged with their vision for next-generation healthcare solutions. Extensive interviews with stakeholders in healthcare, medtech, and pharma confirmed that administrative complexity was one of the most persistent pain points, especially documentation of patient encounters and medical records. Motivated by both their commercial insights and a mission to improve care, Viertolahti and Sippola launched Gosta Labs in the autumn of 2023.
After evaluating multiple cloud options, Gosta Labs selected Microsoft Azure. According to Viertolahti, the primary drivers were robust security, built-in compliance features, and Azure’s deep penetration in Finnish—and broader European—healthcare IT environments.
Azure’s adherence to stringent data privacy regulations, including the EU Data Boundary and compliance certifications for medical data handling, provided a strong foundation. Azure Machine Learning Studio offered enterprise-grade tools to support data science workflows, while interoperability and integration features streamlined adoption across heterogeneous hospital IT landscapes.
Notably, the growing Microsoft for Startups program gave Gosta Labs strategic access to both technical mentorship and commercial opportunities, further amplifying their rapid development and go-to-market strategy.
The pilot deployment took place in the summer of 2024, at a health center in Nummela (Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County). The results were telling:
Pushing the boundaries of what generative AI can do in a healthcare setting, Gosta Labs is developing its own proprietary language models. Critically, development work is leveraging LUMI, Europe’s fastest supercomputer and a joint resource of leading Finnish and European science organizations. This provides unmatched computational resources for training large-scale, domain-specialized models that could one day power everything from guideline interpretation to tailored diagnostic recommendations.
The company is also pursuing original research, including the use of LLMs to interpret complex clinical guidelines for lung cancer. Their initial scientific findings were presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting—a significant venue for oncology and clinical innovation—and received attention for their application of cutting-edge AI to practical clinical dilemmas.
In this landscape, Gosta Labs’ approach—building on Azure’s certified infrastructure, prioritizing privacy by design through the EU Data Boundary, and aligning with GDPR and forthcoming AI-specific legislation—confers a considerable advantage. Being able to demonstrate compliance from inception could accelerate both certification and adoption, especially as cross-border implementation ramps up.
Still, the path to full medical device certification is steep. Each new region and specialty often introduces additional regulatory scrutiny and integration hurdles, meaning that the company’s capacity to scale will depend as much on legal expertise and partnership with regulatory bodies as on technical ingenuity.
Viertolahti and Sippola credit this network for smoothing their path from prototyping to real-world pilot, helping to bridge the credibility gap that faces most early-stage digital health ventures.
Still, each new health system brings idiosyncratic standards, integration challenges, and regulatory regimes. Success in Finland and Western Europe is a strong proof of concept, but entering other major healthcare markets (such as Germany, France, or the UK) will require strategic partnerships and local expertise.
Yet, caution is warranted. Healthcare is a domain where the cost of error is uniquely high, and where stakeholder trust must be won over time. The next phase of the company’s journey—scaling up, securing medical device certification, and demonstrating longitudinal improvements in patient care—will be pivotal.
If current pilot results are any indication, tools like Gosta Labs’ AI assistant could soon become as ubiquitous as the electronic medical record itself, quietly receding into the background as they liberate clinicians to do what they do best: care for patients. But as with all major shifts in healthcare technology, success will depend on rigor, humility, and the trust of those at the front lines of care.
The transformation of healthcare from paperwork to patient focus is underway. Whether Gosta Labs will be the partner of choice for clinicians across Europe, and beyond, remains to be seen—but their early results, strategic partnerships, and relentless focus on the needs of clinicians make them one of the most credible contenders in the race to redefine digital healthcare.
Source: Microsoft Gosta Labs reduces the workload of healthcare professionals with AI
The Administrative Burden: A Barrier to Patient Care
For physicians across Europe—and worldwide—the time spent documenting care often approaches or exceeds the time spent with patients. In Finland, it is estimated that physicians can spend up to half their workday on administrative duties, a sentiment echoed in numerous peer-reviewed studies from across Europe and North America. This documentation overload, exacerbated by increasingly complex regulatory and reimbursement requirements, drains clinical productivity and limits face-to-face patient interactions, the cornerstone of quality care.Healthcare professionals and system administrators have long recognized this challenge. Yet, workflow reforms and digitization initiatives have frequently led to new, sometimes more convoluted, digital paperwork and user interfaces. As the European healthcare workforce grapples with shortages, burnout, and increasing patient demand, the search for a scalable solution is urgent.
The Founders’ Journey: From Kaiku Health to Gosta Labs
Gosta Labs did not emerge in a vacuum. Its founders, Henri Viertolahti and Lauri Sippola, are veterans of digital health innovation, having co-founded Kaiku Health in 2012. Kaiku Health’s application, which automates the monitoring of cancer patient symptoms, has seen global adoption and was acquired by Elekta, a major international oncology technology company, in 2020. Their experience—combining real clinical workflows, regulatory complexity, and the commercial realities of the health tech sector—has been pivotal in shaping Gosta Labs’ approach.By 2023, advances in large language models (LLMs) and machine learning software converged with their vision for next-generation healthcare solutions. Extensive interviews with stakeholders in healthcare, medtech, and pharma confirmed that administrative complexity was one of the most persistent pain points, especially documentation of patient encounters and medical records. Motivated by both their commercial insights and a mission to improve care, Viertolahti and Sippola launched Gosta Labs in the autumn of 2023.
Leveraging Microsoft Azure: Compliance, Security, and Scalability
The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare raises unique and complex regulatory challenges—from GDPR enforcement to compliance with the EU AI Act, and strict medical device certification standards. Gosta Labs’ leaders recognized that successfully scaling an AI-centric product in this context would require more than clever algorithms.After evaluating multiple cloud options, Gosta Labs selected Microsoft Azure. According to Viertolahti, the primary drivers were robust security, built-in compliance features, and Azure’s deep penetration in Finnish—and broader European—healthcare IT environments.
Azure’s adherence to stringent data privacy regulations, including the EU Data Boundary and compliance certifications for medical data handling, provided a strong foundation. Azure Machine Learning Studio offered enterprise-grade tools to support data science workflows, while interoperability and integration features streamlined adoption across heterogeneous hospital IT landscapes.
Notably, the growing Microsoft for Startups program gave Gosta Labs strategic access to both technical mentorship and commercial opportunities, further amplifying their rapid development and go-to-market strategy.
Automating Patient Record-Keeping: Results and Early Feedback
Gosta Labs’ flagship platform is an AI-powered assistant that transforms the way clinicians document patient care. The solution is simple but powerful: during a consultation, the AI listens to the conversation and then automatically generates a structured medical record compliant with local standards, such as those set by Finland’s Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Clinicians then review and finalize these records—a process that early users report as markedly more efficient.The pilot deployment took place in the summer of 2024, at a health center in Nummela (Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County). The results were telling:
- Reduced documentation time: Physicians and nurses could devote more attention to patients and less to paperwork.
- Improved patient interaction: Freed from the tyranny of the keyboard, clinicians were able to focus more intently on patient communication during consultations.
- Enhanced job satisfaction: By offloading routine documentation, clinicians reported a reduction in cognitive load and better workplace morale.
From Automation to Intelligence: Gosta Labs’ Broader Vision
While automating documentation addresses an immediate and significant pain point, Gosta Labs’ strategic ambitions extend much further. The company is now building a comprehensive AI assistant capable of providing real-time decision support during patient visits, leveraging contextual clinical data and best-practice guidelines.Pushing the boundaries of what generative AI can do in a healthcare setting, Gosta Labs is developing its own proprietary language models. Critically, development work is leveraging LUMI, Europe’s fastest supercomputer and a joint resource of leading Finnish and European science organizations. This provides unmatched computational resources for training large-scale, domain-specialized models that could one day power everything from guideline interpretation to tailored diagnostic recommendations.
The company is also pursuing original research, including the use of LLMs to interpret complex clinical guidelines for lung cancer. Their initial scientific findings were presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting—a significant venue for oncology and clinical innovation—and received attention for their application of cutting-edge AI to practical clinical dilemmas.
Regulatory Compliance: The Path to Medical Device Certification
Unlike many consumer AI tools, any software deployed in a clinical environment must meet strict regulatory requirements. Under the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR), tools that provide diagnostic or therapeutic decision support are classified as medical devices, triggering a rigorous certification process.In this landscape, Gosta Labs’ approach—building on Azure’s certified infrastructure, prioritizing privacy by design through the EU Data Boundary, and aligning with GDPR and forthcoming AI-specific legislation—confers a considerable advantage. Being able to demonstrate compliance from inception could accelerate both certification and adoption, especially as cross-border implementation ramps up.
Still, the path to full medical device certification is steep. Each new region and specialty often introduces additional regulatory scrutiny and integration hurdles, meaning that the company’s capacity to scale will depend as much on legal expertise and partnership with regulatory bodies as on technical ingenuity.
Microsoft for Startups: Accelerating Growth through Partnership
A critical, and sometimes underappreciated, element in Gosta Labs’ success has been its participation in the Microsoft for Startups program. Beyond free cloud credits and developer support, the program exposed Gosta Labs to a powerful, global network of Microsoft experts. These relationships proved invaluable, particularly as the company navigated complex healthcare IT environments, secured pilot sites, and built trust among potential customers wary of new digital tools.Viertolahti and Sippola credit this network for smoothing their path from prototyping to real-world pilot, helping to bridge the credibility gap that faces most early-stage digital health ventures.
Healthcare AI in Context: Strengths, Limitations, and Risks
Gosta Labs stands in a rapidly expanding field. Healthcare AI is a priority for both startups and established technology leaders, driven by the promise of operational efficiencies and better patient outcomes. Yet, not all AI is created equal, and the history of digital health is littered with tools that failed to gain meaningful adoption or, worse, introduced new risks.Notable Strengths
- Deep Domain Expertise: Gosta Labs’ founders have real-world experience in clinical technology, navigating both the commercial and regulatory barriers unique to healthcare IT.
- Regulatory Mindset: The company’s focus on compliance, privacy, and interoperability is not just a box-ticking exercise but a core strategic differentiator.
- Practical Use Case: By targeting documentation—one of healthcare’s most universal time sinks—the company’s solution addresses a quantifiable, high-impact need.
- Scalable Platform: Azure’s deployment flexibility and compliance certifications make cross-border scaling more plausible than with more bespoke technology stacks.
- Ongoing Research: Peer-reviewed publications and public presentations at major conferences help build credibility and demonstrate technical depth.
Potential Risks and Challenges
- Regulatory Uncertainty: EU AI regulation is evolving rapidly. What qualifies as compliant today may require further revision tomorrow. The company must remain vigilant and adaptive.
- Data Quality and Bias: AI models are only as smart as the data they’re trained on. Clinical documentation varies widely by region and specialty. Poor data or lack of generalization could produce unsafe outputs.
- User Adoption: Even the best AI solution is useless if clinicians don’t use it. Workflow disruption, distrust of automation, or minimal perceived benefit could limit uptake, as observed in other high-profile healthcare IT rollouts.
- Security and Sovereignty: While Azure offers robust guarantees, the handling of sensitive personal health data always attracts scrutiny—from ransomware threats to data governance disputes.
- Competition: Major tech conglomerates and agile startups alike are eyeing the healthcare automation space. Gosta Labs must maintain its pace of innovation to avoid being outflanked.
International Expansion: Opportunities and Hurdles
Gosta Labs has made it clear that its ambitions are global. The universality of clinical documentation pain—and the growing global shortage of healthcare staff—creates fertile ground for international expansion. The European Digital Health market alone is expected to grow at a compound annual rate exceeding 20% through 2030.Still, each new health system brings idiosyncratic standards, integration challenges, and regulatory regimes. Success in Finland and Western Europe is a strong proof of concept, but entering other major healthcare markets (such as Germany, France, or the UK) will require strategic partnerships and local expertise.
Outlook: AI as the Clinician’s Ally
There is little doubt that AI-driven automation in healthcare will expand rapidly as technical capabilities, regulatory frameworks, and user confidence converge. Gosta Labs, with its focus on the practical needs of clinicians and a clear-eyed approach to compliance and integration, is well positioned to lead in this new era.Yet, caution is warranted. Healthcare is a domain where the cost of error is uniquely high, and where stakeholder trust must be won over time. The next phase of the company’s journey—scaling up, securing medical device certification, and demonstrating longitudinal improvements in patient care—will be pivotal.
Conclusion
Gosta Labs’ story is one of vision informed by experience, of technological possibility harnessed to tangible need. By targeting the administrative heartache of documentation and enlisting both the power of Microsoft Azure and the expertise of clinical pioneers, the company offers a compelling case study in next-generation digital health innovation.If current pilot results are any indication, tools like Gosta Labs’ AI assistant could soon become as ubiquitous as the electronic medical record itself, quietly receding into the background as they liberate clinicians to do what they do best: care for patients. But as with all major shifts in healthcare technology, success will depend on rigor, humility, and the trust of those at the front lines of care.
The transformation of healthcare from paperwork to patient focus is underway. Whether Gosta Labs will be the partner of choice for clinicians across Europe, and beyond, remains to be seen—but their early results, strategic partnerships, and relentless focus on the needs of clinicians make them one of the most credible contenders in the race to redefine digital healthcare.
Source: Microsoft Gosta Labs reduces the workload of healthcare professionals with AI
