Microsoft announces AI-powered healthcare chatbot

Microsoft unveiled a new tool that allows healthcare organizations to create their own AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants for various services.

The Microsoft Healthcare Bot is one of several new tools the company recently announced as part of its effort to transform “how healthcare is experienced and delivered.” The other tools unveiled were:

• Microsoft 365 for healthcare organizations, which features new capabilities in Microsoft Teams that allow healthcare teams to communicate and collaborate in a secure hub.
• Azure API for FHIR (Fast Health Interoperability Resources), which enable health system interoperability and to share data in the cloud.

The Microsoft Healthcare Bot was first introduced in 2017 as a research project. Its features include healthcare intelligence, medical content and terminology and a built-in symptom checker. In a blog post, the company said the bot can also be used to help organizations to solve business problems and can connect to health systems, like electronic health records (EHRs).

The company also plans to discuss the new tools during the HIMSS conference in February in Orlando, Florida.

“People are at the heart of healthcare––physicians, nurses, clinicians and of course, their patients,” Peter Lee, corporate vice president of Microsoft Healthcare, wrote in a blog post. “We are committed to empowering care teams with the tools they need to deliver their best care as well as empowering people as they interact with various aspects of the healthcare system.”