AI continues to move into the healthcare sector with a growing number of companies and organizations exploring how generative AI can improve healthcare globally.
Most recently, a Canadian program led by York University in Toronto is researching how AI can help improve preparedness for outbreaks of infectious diseases in the Global South.
By combining the knowledge of researchers, policymakers, and local community experts, the goal is to create AI-powered tools that can reduce the impact of outbreaks and even predict outbreaks in certain regions.
The Global South Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Response Network (AI4PEP) received $7.25 million in funding from the International Development Research Centre, meant to be used over five years.
Several other major U.S. companies have also begun collaborating with organizations in the healthcare sector, including Microsoft and HCA Healthcare.
Microsoft Works With Epic To Help Patients
Microsoft has teamed up with Epic to bring generative AI to the healthcare industry, "working to help clinicians better serve their patients and addressing some of the most urgent needs, from workforce burnout to staffing shortages."
Microsoft is also integrating generative AI across the Epic electronic health record to expand access to AI-powered clinical insights. Some of Microsoft’s work with Epic will result in:
- Enhancing clinician productivity with note summarization and embedded ambient clinical documentation
- Driving administrative efficiencies through the reduction of manual, labor-intensive processes
- Advancing medicine for better patient outcomes
“Our work to integrate Azure OpenAI Service and Nuance ambient technologies within the Epic ecosystem shows that broader strategic collaborations can rapidly accelerate the availability of actionable AI-driven solutions for healthcare organizations and the patients they serve,” Microsoft said in a blog post last month.
Google Cloud Brings Generative AI to Hospitals
Similarly, Google Cloud is collaborating with HCA Healthcare to bring generative AI directly to hospitals.
HCA Healthcare is also leveraging generative AI to improve patient handoffs between nurses. By using one of Google Cloud's large language models (LLMs), HCA Healthcare can automatically generate handoff reports, saving valuable time for nurses to work directly with patients.
“We’re on a mission to redesign the way care is delivered, letting clinicians focus on patient care and using technology where it can best support doctors and nurses,” said Michael J. Schlosser, SVP of Care Transformation and Innovation at HCA Healthcare.
