Analytics in Action News

Google, HCA Healthcare Partner to Develop Data Analytics Platform

The multi-year partnership will aim to create a secure and comprehensive data analytics platform for HCA Healthcare.

Google, HCA Healthcare partner to develop data analytics platform

Source: Getty Images

By Jessica Kent

- Google Cloud and HCA Healthcare have announced a partnership to enhance data analytics and clinical decision support technologies at HCA Healthcare.

The organizations will work to create a secure and dynamic data analytics platform for HCA Healthcare, leading to the development of innovative operational models focused on actionable insights and more efficient workflows.

HCA Healthcare uses information from its 32 million annual encounters to identify opportunities to improve clinical care and support its 93,000 nurses and 47,000 active and affiliated physicians.

Through the partnership with Google Cloud, HCA Healthcare is expected to continue its efforts to improve and develop new decision support to enhance quality, safety, and efficiency.

“Next-generation care demands data science-informed decision support so we can more sharply focus on safe, efficient and effective patient care,” said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare. “We view partnerships with leading organizations, like Google Cloud, that share our passion for innovation and continual improvement as foundational to our efforts.”

HCA Healthcare has deployed 90,000 mobile devices that run tools created by the organization’s PaitentKeeper and Mobile Heartbeat teams and other developers to empower providers as they deliver care.

In addition to significant investments in mobility to support clinical care, the partnership with Google Cloud is expected to empower nurses, physicians, and others with workflow tools, analysis, and alerts on their mobile devices to help clinicians quickly respond to changes in a patient’s condition.

Moreover, the partnership will focus on impacting non-clinical support areas that may benefit from improved workflows through better use of data and insights, like supply chain, human resources, and physical plant operations.

The partnership will leverage Google Cloud’s healthcare data offerings, including the Google Cloud Healthcare API and BigQuery, a planetary-scale database with full support for HL7v2 and FHIRv4 data standards, as well as HIPAA compliance.

Google Cloud’s data analytics and AI offerings will power custom solutions for clinical and operational settings, build together with Google Cloud’s Office of the CTO and Google Cloud Professional Services.

“The cloud can be an accelerant for innovation in health, particularly in driving data interoperability, which is critical in streamlining operations and providing better quality of care to improve patient outcomes,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud.

“We are honored to partner with HCA Healthcare on this unique opportunity to be at the forefront of advancing care through the power of real-time data availability to support clinical and operational workflows.”

The announcement is Google’s latest partnership with a leading healthcare organization. In February, the tech giant revealed that it would open its first office in Rochester, Minnesota to deepen its long-term partnership with Mayo Clinic.

The organizations launched the partnership in September 2019, with the goal of leveraging healthcare cloud computing, data analytics, machine learning, and AI to improve care delivery.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance of coming together to come up with innovative ways of tackling health challenges,” said Chris Mueller, Rochester Site Lead and Software Engineer, Google Cloud.

“We are excited to officially join the Rochester community and deepen our collaboration with Mayo Clinic as we work together to transform health through technology.”

The new office is meant to serve as a physical space for Google and Mayo Clinic to develop comprehensive healthcare solutions.

“Part of what drew us to partner with Google was our shared cultures of collaboration. While the pandemic has accelerated usage of many valuable forms of remote collaboration and virtual health services, it has also caused us to truly appreciate in-person experiences and connection,” said Cris Ross, chief information officer of Mayo Clinic.

“We’re excited to have this physical space designed to deepen our bond and facilitate innovation, where Google engineers will work side by side with Mayo Clinic researchers, physicians, information technology staff and data scientists, to apply advanced computing techniques to health care problems.”