Spotlight: Kuanysh Idrissov @ Rette AI
A spotlight is a short-form interview with a leader in health tech. In this spotlight, you'll hear from Kuanysh Idrissov, co-founder and CPO of Rette AI.
What does Rette do?
At Rette, we build medical coding and CDI (clinical documentation improvement) AI made specifically for orthopedics. Our models review the surgeon's note before it's signed, catch coding gaps and denial risks, and check each case against payer policy, so claims go out right the first time. Our dedicated ML team trains our own models for orthopedics, so we deliver the most accurate, state-of-the-art orthopedic coding and CDI.
How did you end up working in health tech?
I'm originally from Kazakhstan. My first real step into health tech was as Head of Product at a YC-backed healthcare startup in Singapore. After that, my co-founder Sanzhar and I went back home and built an RCM startup in Kazakhstan. It became the most successful one in the country, and today the biggest hospitals in Central Asia run on it. That made me want to go global and take on the biggest and most complex healthcare market in the world, the US. That's how Rette started.
How does your role intersect with revenue cycle management (RCM)?
As CPO and co-founder, I work at the front of the revenue cycle. My job is to take what coders, billers and payers actually need and turn it into a product that fits the workflows practices already use. I work closely with our dedicated ML team on the models behind Rette's coding and CDI. Coding and documentation decide whether a claim gets paid, so everything I build is about getting that step right.
What do you think RCM will look like two years from now?
In Kazakh, "Rette" means "to put in order," and that's how I see the future of RCM. Right now the revenue cycle is fragmented. Providers and payers sit on opposite sides, each with their own rules and systems and whole teams checking each other's work. That friction costs billions, slows payments down, and pulls attention away from patients.
In two years, I believe AI will start putting that system in order. It will become a trust layer between providers and payers, where both sides can rely on the same accurate, transparent information. Instead of chasing problems after the fact, the process will get things right from the start. I think RCM will feel less like a battle and more like a shared, streamlined workflow, where people spend their time on the hard cases and on care, not paperwork.