Google gains a sure foothold for building its healthcare AI résumé
A 17-hospital, 500-site health system in the Northeast is going all in with Google Cloud: It’s migrating clinical and operational data to Google’s Workspace and Chrome Enterprise platforms while also partnering with the Silicon Valley giant on AI and machine learning.
Edison, New Jersey-based Hackensack Meridian Health and Google Cloud jointly announced the expanded collaboration Oct. 20.
The AI piece of the agreement will have Hackensack Meridian tapping Google to apply its AI toolkits in “key clinical areas, such as screening and detection, to help transform the way healthcare is delivered to thousands of patients across New Jersey.”
The partnership was already well underway as of announcement day. Hackensack Meridian has been leveraging its relationship with Google to support remote workers during the pandemic, equipping some 3,000 with Chromebooks outfitted with Citrix “for secure access to core healthcare applications.”
In addition, the devices have helped physicians boost telehealth visits from around 8,600 in 2019 to almost 200,000 in 2020, the announcement states.
The announcement drills down into some specific use cases for Google Cloud’s AI and machine learning offerings at Hackensack Meridian Health. Among these are screenings for newborn health, mammography and prostate cancer, along with detection of sepsis and COVID-19.
Daniel Varga, MD, chief physician executive at Hackensack Meridian Health, says the technology deployments to come through the partnership represent a “new frontier in medicine.”
“Together we will improve patient care, treatment precision and clinical outcomes,” Varga adds, “while increasing efficiencies that can help physicians devote more time to life-saving research and patient care.”
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian adds that the partnership will enable the development of innovative services that will “push care to the next level.”
Read the full announcement here from the provider or here from the supplier.
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.