In a press release, HCA said the goal of its multi-year partnership with Google is to “develop a "secure and dynamic data analytics platform" that it will use to advance operational models that will result in "actionable insights and improved workflows.”
“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.
Improving operating efficiency
The deal will give Google permission to extract certain patient data when needed, but the tech giant will also be able to develop analytical tools without patient records, the Wall Street Journal reported. HCA will be able to test the models independently.
The hospital chain, which operates across about 2,000 locations in 21 states, said the data will help it see where improvement in clinical care is needed.
“Data are spun off of every patient in real time,” noted Dr. Jonathan Perlin, HCA’s chief medical officer. “Part of what we’re building is a central nervous system to help interpret the various signals.”
Sam Hazen, CEO of HCA Healthcare, added that the partnership will bolster the health system's efforts to improve and modernize several facets related to patient data.
"Next-generation care demands data science-informed decision support so we can more sharply focus on safe, efficient and effective patient care,” Hazen said. “We view partnerships with leading organizations, like Google Cloud, that share our passion for innovation and continual improvement as foundational to our efforts."
Focusing on privacy
In announcing their collaboration, HCA and Google stressed that data privacy and security will be prioritized. Access and use of patient data will be addressed through Google Cloud’s infrastructure and HCA’s security controls and processes.
Identifying information would be culled from HCA patient records prior to being shared with Google’s data scientists, and the health system will have control of access to the data, the Journal reported.