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Google revealed several new AI-focused healthcare partnerships on Tuesday in its annual health occasion, The Check Up.
In recent years, Google has dedicated much attention and money to healthcare, expecting to integrate more profoundly into the growing space. Google declared Tuesday that its large language model, Med-PaLM 2, now offers expert-level answers to queries posed by healthcare specialists and patients. (Formerly, the model scored around 70% on such solutions, Google stated.)
Google also revealed many new partnerships to tackle global health issues. The organization works with the nonprofit Right to Care to make AI-powered tuberculosis screenings widely available across Sub-Saharan Africa. The mechanism has committed to donating 100,000 public AI-powered TB screenings while working with Google.
In expansion, it’s investing in AI models that can help acquire and analyze ultrasound images to identify things like gestational age in pregnant individuals and early detection of breast cancer. Google is collaborating with Jacaranda Health, a Kenya-based nonprofit, to investigate how artificial intelligence can support ultrasounds for pregnant females. Taiwan is working with Chang Cung Memorial Hospital to utilize ultrasound to detect breast cancer.
“I believe it would be hubris to imagine any one group tackling challenges like these unaided, and I really think it’s about sets of organizations coming jointly and bringing what they have to the table in order to realize these advantages,” Greg Corrado, head of Health AI, told in a briefing with journalists.
Within the U.S., Google has been performing with the Mayo Clinic to see how AI can help radiotherapy. The cancer treatment requires a planning technique called “contouring,” which has clinicians draw lines to CT scans to divide the areas of cancer from healthy tissues that could be injured during treatment. Now, Google is readying to publicize research about its findings and is formalizing a new contract with the hospital system to “explore further research, model expansion and commercialization,” the company stated.
“We have been incredibly excited about what it’s been like to work with them, fetching together expertise, both from the healthcare side, and from the artificial intelligence flank, to build a system that’s really reasonable for practical purposes,” Corrado stated.
Along with its AI efforts, Google is also creating Medicaid re-enrollment information more uncomplicated to find on Search since a pandemic-induced break on re-enrolling is set to expire this month. It will also surface neighborhood health centers that offer free or low-cost healthcare.
In another story by Aisha Malik for TechCrunch, it is stated Google revealed a series of health updates for its products, including Search. It is pertinent to mention, the company announced that it’s making it more manageable for people to find affordable healthcare hubs nearby. The tech giant revealed that you would shortly be able to see providers that recognize as community health centers delivering free or low-cost care in search outcomes.
If a medical clinic delivers affordable care, you will soon see a label that says “Free or low-cost care” under its practice in search outcomes.
“You will be able to see information for community health hubs in the U.S. that offer free or low-cost care,” declared Google’s senior director of product for health and search, Hema Budaraju, in a briefing with journalists. “We are focusing on these centers because we know that the credentials they provide to primary care has been shown to show impact in improving chronic conditions, improving the use of preventative services and decreasing ER visits. This data on the neighborhood health centers is based on public information from Health Resources and Services Administration, including all registered federally qualified health centers.”
Google also informed that it’s making it easier to find Medicaid re-enrollment information more manageable to find on Search. In the U.S., millions of individuals signed up for Medicaid during the pandemic. At that time, the necessity to re-enroll each year was stopped, but that pause is about to lapse on March 31, which suggests that if people fail to re-enroll, they will forfeit their healthcare coverage.
In order to assist people in avoiding this, Google makes Medicaid re-enrollment information more uncomplicated to find on Search. Users will see what actions they must take by accessing state-specific re-enrollment knowledge.
Google stated it’s using new methods to ensure that Search connects individuals with up-to-date information. The company indicated that its conversation AI technology, Duplex, has known as thousands of healthcare providers in the U.S. to confirm their information on Google Search. Google has also utilized Duplex to confirm if providers receive specific Medicaid plans in their state.
