How Google has invested in healthcare

According to DeSalvo, Google is "a life company … not a healthcare company."

"To have a high quality of life, health is very important," DeSalvo said. "We want to help people, and we want to help enterprises meet consumers where they are and give them what they need. One of the primary goals of the company is to help billions of people around the world become healthier in an equitable manner… giving every single person an opportunity to have the highest quality of health."

One of the ways Google has invested in healthcare is through its Care Studio, which allows clinicians to search and collate specific patient information through a centralized platform in an effort to improve providers' workflows.

Similarly, Google Cloud has developed a Healthcare Data Engine that empowers the unification of data sets to enable interoperability and accessibility, Balasubramanian reports. It also allows for certain capabilities, like insights into social determinants of health or patient throughput analytics.

Google has also partnered with trusted organizations, like the American Academy of Pediatrics or the United Kingdom's National Health Service, to help them distribute accurate content and thought leadership through platforms like Google's search engine, YouTube, or Google Maps.

In addition, Google has developed clinical tools that can help with diagnostic processes, like its Automated Retinal Disease Assessment, which utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to help detect diabetic retinopathy.

Where Google sees future healthcare potential

According to DeSalvo, Google is also intrigued by technologies like generative AI, which has significant potential within healthcare. DeSalvo said the company wants to "expand multiple lanes at once — continue to refine and improve core tools such as traditional search, while also investing in improving and embracing newer technologies such as generative AI."

However, DeSalvo warned against haste with generative AI. "Just as with any technology, there are quite a few open questions — it doesn't mean we should not do the work or push forward; it just means that we should do it while keeping in mind privacy, ethics, equity, and security at the forefront of the design." (Balasubramanian, Forbes, 8/21)

We hear a lot about health care "disruptors" and all the ways they're trying to change the industry – whether that's acquiring physician practices, building innovative strategic partnerships, or introducing new technologies to make health care more affordable and accessible to consumers.  The  Radio Advisory podcast team spoke with  Advisory Board  research experts — plus outside industry leaders — about the disruptors and business models poised to make the biggest impact on the industry. Read on to find out our thoughts on how leaders like you should react.