Tech giant brings technological innovation to an ever-changing industry.
Technological advancements are revolutionizing the way clinicians deliver patient care. Changing patient expectations within the healthcare industry has resulted in nuanced business models and increased technological innovation, exemplified by healthcare entrant companies such as CVS Health, Oak Street Health, Amazon, and Google.
Google, a multinational technology company, drives innovation in the world of healthcare through its Google Health sector. Google Health is committed to “helping everyone, everywhere be healthier through products and services that bring meaningful health information,” according to the company’s mission statement. Google has designed technology and products that empower both physicians and the public with access to health information. Google Health also develops technology-based solutions for the industry, such as the use of artificial intelligence technology in healthcare, to assist clinicians in the accurate diagnosis of diseases.
Google Health has web resources for consumers, including information on health and fitness motivation, health research participation, access to health information and care, and a wealth of knowledge and information. The company also has resources for clinicians and caregivers that empower them to transform care daily and integrate AI into their practices.
For communities, Google Health provides tools for data-driven insights, assists researchers and scientists, and shares critical information. Through the company’s technology, researchers can improve the accuracy of genomic analyses, find assistance with AI-enabled tools, and share research findings to collaboratively advance healthcare.
Google Health’s partnerships
Collaboration with established healthcare organizations is key to success for technology companies in the healthcare industry. According to Google Health, working with clinical, public health, and academic organizations as partners integrates the company’s emerging technologies with its technological expertise, transforming the industry.
One partnership includes iCAD Inc., a global medical technology company. According to a press release from August of 2023, the partnership between Google Health and iCAD Inc. allows iCAD to integrate Google AI technology into the company’s ProFound Breast Health Suite for 2D Mammography. ProFound Detection is a cancer detection solution proven to improve detection for radiologists reading mammography and has been used throughout the U.S. as an independent reader for breast cancer screenings. The iCAD partnership with Google Health aims to enhance and expand the diagnostic technology to millions of women and providers worldwide.
According to Google Health, partnerships with Ascension Health, Northwestern Medicine, and Mayo Clinic have also led the way for healthcare industry innovation. Through Ascension Health, a U.S. health system with 2,700 care sites, Google Health is employing technological solutions focused on transforming the clinician experience and improving patient care, according to Google Health.
Google Health also collaborates with Northwestern Medicine on clinical research that optimizes and increases the accuracy of early lung cancer and breast cancer screening processes and enables earlier intervention and treatment. Mayo Clinic is also taking advantage of Google Health’s AI and advanced cloud computing to research and equip healthcare providers with the best tools and resources in healthcare.
Health research
In addition to its health system partnerships, Google Health collaborates with researchers and international organizations. Google Health entered a multi-year collaboration agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) that allows the companies to provide credible health-related information online that helps physicians around the world respond to emerging and future health crises.
Examples of health-related information Google Health provides includes alerts to inform individuals about possible disease transmission in their area, YouTube policies debunking medical misinformation, dropdown menu “Knowledge Panels,” and more.
Google and the WHO aim to increase access to trustworthy health information online through its online Knowledge Panels, or informative online drop-down menus. With the WHO, Google plans to add health conditions such as COPD, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, Mpox, Ebola, depressive disorder, malaria, and more diseases to the dropdown menus, in multiple languages, to better inform the public on proper disease management. The collaboration will also accelerate digital care in under-resourced communities and connect people to accurate WHO health information by providing funding for Google Search and Ad Grants.
Google Health additionally supports research efforts, for example, with the first draft of the human pangenome, announced as a reference in Nature, and Google Health researchers assisted with the studies. The new human pangenome combines assembled genomes from 47 people from diverse ancestries around the world. Unlike the current human reference genome, which represents data from just one person at each point along the DNA, the pangenome reference includes data from many individuals at each position. This revolutionary finding creates a new resource developed through technological innovation that better represents human genetic diversity, allowing scientists and doctors to more accurately diagnose and treat diseases and develop new therapeutics.
Google Health’s partnerships, collaborations, and technological advancements within healthcare represent how new entrants in the industry are introducing groundbreaking innovation into patient care that improves health outcomes.