Google cooperated with Ascension to further establish its ground on the medical industry. (Image via CryptoNewsZ)

Google teams up with Ascension to revolutionize healthcare system

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Business & Industry
Medical and Health
Nov 13, 2019
1754
To further strengthen its ground on the healthcare system, Google announced a partnership with a Catholic healthcare system, Ascension. In its latest foray into the healthcare system, Google sets to modernize the information system and provide new tools for the doctors.

The deal asserted Google’s dedication to entering the healthcare industry after it acquired Fitbit at US$2.1 billion, making it the second-biggest acquisition made by the tech company.

The announcement came a day following Monday’s report by the Wall Street Journal, stating that Google had accessed thousands of patient’s personal data without any permission from the doctors.

Under the deal, Google will provide the tech for Ascension such as a cloud computing system and artificial intelligence (AI) to help mix match patient’s records to help the doctors and other providers. Ascension has health centers in 21 states mostly operating in the South and Midwest regions.

Google asserted that the patients’ data accessed are not for other purposes but to ensure services promised to be provided under the agreement. The tech juggernaut also said that the patients’ data are not to be mixed with regular Google users’ data.

Both Google and Ascension acknowledged the importance of keeping the data secure, stating that the agreement is following federal law.

Healthcare providers find accessing patients’ data incredibly useful to find the pattern in patients’ records to keep patients healthy and manage healthcare. It goes from monitoring prescriptions for the patients to tracking worsening medical conditions and addressing it before the patients are rushed to the hospital.

While Google firmly stated that it would not misuse the patients’ personal data and record, the world remains suspicious. In recent years, Google received backlashes on how it treats users’ data. The peak was in 2016 when Google was related to providing users’ data for Cambridge Analytica amid the 2016 Presidential Election which saw Donald Trump as the winner.

Source: https://bit.ly/33IWBuZ

Business , Medical , Telecommunication , Internet , Google , Healthcare , Ascension