The healthcare industry has long been considered slow to adopt technological advancements compared to other sectors. However, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Generative AI (gen AI), is redefining this landscape. Gen AI has the potential to significantly alleviate many of the administrative challenges that healthcare professionals face. This includes tasks such as extracting relevant information from medical records, drafting necessary documentation, and identifying suitable candidates for clinical trials. As gen AI transitions from buzzword status to a critical business tool, it is ushering in novel opportunities for transforming the healthcare sector with innovations like AI agents, AI-powered search capabilities, and comprehensive AI platforms.
During the recent HIMSS 25 healthcare conference, Google Cloud showcased how healthcare organizations are leveraging its gen AI technologies to develop AI agents and search tools. These innovations aim to reduce the administrative workload on healthcare providers, allowing them to focus more on delivering quality patient care.
### AI Agents Revolutionizing Healthcare
AI agents are advanced technological solutions designed to perform tasks autonomously, often emulating human cognitive processes. In the healthcare domain, these agents can undertake diverse responsibilities, ranging from scheduling appointments to analyzing complex medical images. Although still in their nascent stages, researchers are actively exploring the potential of AI agents in various areas, including personalized medicine, remote patient monitoring, and the discovery and development of new drugs.
Basalt Health, a prominent player in this space, recently announced the launch of its groundbreaking AI agents designed to assist medical assistants (MAs). These agents are instrumental in preparing patient charts and handling administrative responsibilities ahead of patient visits. They also play a crucial role in identifying care gaps and potential health risks by flagging the need for essential screenings like mammograms or colonoscopies. Basalt’s AI agents are adept at interpreting intricate medical guidelines, synthesizing information from both structured and unstructured patient data, and navigating complex administrative workflows. Operating within a secure Google Cloud environment, these agents employ Vertex AI, Gemini, and other Google Cloud technologies to ensure high accuracy and reliability. A key focus of their development is to adhere to ethical standards, ensuring transparency and addressing concerns related to data privacy and algorithmic bias.
Google Agentspace further simplifies the process for organizations to build AI agents by offering advanced reasoning through Gemini, high-quality search capabilities, and enterprise data management. This platform provides the necessary tools and infrastructure for organizations to connect agents to data sources, define specific workflows, and monitor performance effectively.
### Enhancing Search in Healthcare with Gen AI
The healthcare sector is known for generating vast amounts of data, often described as data-rich but information-poor. Despite the abundance of data, healthcare professionals frequently struggle to locate the information they need promptly. AI-powered search tools transcend traditional keyword-based search methods by utilizing natural language processing and machine learning to comprehend the context and intent behind search queries. This enables organizations to deliver the most pertinent and accurate information, even if it’s deeply embedded within a massive database.
At the HIMSS conference, several organizations shared their experiences using Vertex AI Search for healthcare, highlighting its role in providing clinicians with access to critical information and contributing to improved patient outcomes.
#### Freenome: Advancing Cancer Screening
Biotechnology firm Freenome is collaborating with Google Cloud to enhance colorectal cancer screening rates. Freenome has developed an innovative blood test for early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) and plans to leverage Google Cloud’s AI tools to prioritize patients for screening. By analyzing de-identified patient data, including risk factors, demographics, and social determinants of health, Freenome can pinpoint individuals who may have been overlooked by standard screening procedures. Freenome also utilizes various other Google Cloud services such as Compute Engine, BigQuery, and Looker for data analysis, model training, and visualization.
#### Counterpart Health: Early Disease Identification and Management
Counterpart Health, a subsidiary of Clover Health, has announced the integration of Vertex AI Search for healthcare into its Counterpart Assistant software. This integration enables a generative AI search experience across a patient’s complete digital health record at the point of care. Clinicians can swiftly access critical insights synthesized from over 100 integrated data sources, such as recent tests, hospital discharges, and medication adherence. This facilitates early diagnosis and effective management of chronic diseases, aligning with the goals of value-based care.
#### MEDITECH: Streamlining Clinical Workflows
MEDITECH has seamlessly integrated AI-powered search and summarization capabilities into its electronic health records system, Expanse. This integration allows clinicians to instantly receive a summarized view of relevant patient records, lab results, and previous notes, all within their familiar workflows. This not only saves time but also empowers clinicians to make more informed decisions.
#### Suki: Innovating with Ambient AI and Search
Suki, an AI assistant provider, has unveiled new capabilities that allow doctors to use natural language to query medical information. For example, a doctor could ask, “What’s the latest recommendation on when patients should start colon cancer screening if they have a significant family history?” and receive precise, AI-generated answers. These features, built with Vertex AI Search for healthcare, position Suki as one of the industry’s pioneering end-to-end clinical assistants. It offers support for a wide array of tasks, including ambient documentation, coding suggestions, patient record summaries, medical reference answers, and more.
For those interested in witnessing these groundbreaking technologies firsthand, Google Cloud showcased them at the HIMSS booth. Further details can be found in Google Cloud’s Press Corner, offering a deeper dive into these innovations and their implications on the future of healthcare.
As the healthcare industry continues to embrace gen AI, it is evident that these technological advancements hold the promise of revolutionizing how healthcare is delivered, making it more efficient, accurate, and patient-centered. By reducing administrative burdens and improving access to critical information, AI is poised to transform healthcare delivery and outcomes, ultimately enhancing patient care across the board.
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