ARPA-H allocates $62.7 million for AI tools to manage heart failure treatment

ARPA-H disclosed a $62.7 million commitment to the ADVOCATE initiative, which aims to produce FDA-cleared AI agents that can evaluate heart-failure symptom severity, recommend drugs and trigger laboratory testing. For the first year, $33.7 million will be distributed to four health-technology companies—Atman Health, UpDoc, Tempus AI—and to collaborative teams from Stanford University, Duke University and the Kaiser Permanente health system.

The agency retains the option to fund additional collaborators and to adjust the overall amount up or down. The program seeks to close treatment gaps for the roughly 6.7 million U.S. patients with heart failure who often cannot reach specialists, a problem most acute in underserved and rural communities. By leveraging AI, the initiative hopes to deliver more consistent, guideline-based care and improve outcomes. ARPA-H may continue to expand the effort beyond the initial award round.