While Amazon and Apple are going after the consumer market, Microsoft is focusing on meeting the needs of researchers, physicians, providers, biotech companies and other organizations that use artificial intelligence and the cloud.

Days before HIMSS18, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of AI and Research Peter Lee has announced a number of projects and AI accelerators.

This includes Microsoft Genomics and the general availability of Microsoft Azure genomic processing services, Lee wrote in a Microsoft blog. Microsoft has partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as its flagship partner for this launch.

Another is Microsoft Azure Security and Compliance Blueprint for security for HIPAA and HITRUST. This end-to-end application helps healthcare organizations move to the cloud with greater simplicity, compliance, security and industry-standard compatibility, Lee said.

Other innovations include Project Empower MD, a research collaboration with UPMC, to create a system that reduces the burden of note-taking because it listens and learns from physicians.

Microsoft 365 Huddle Solution Templates benefit health teams from collaboration tools to drive quality and care outcomes.

AI Network for Healthcare is an expansion of the Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare. The AI Network for Healthcare creates an AI-focused network in cardiology, in partnership with Apollo Hospitals in India.

Project InnerEye is a new integration with TeraRecon and Intuitive Surgical.

In addition, today Louisiana-based Ochsner Health System announced it launched a new AI technology to help treat patients more quickly and proactively through Microsoft Azure and Epic’s machine learning platform The solution sends early warning alerts by tracking and analyzing patient symptoms to predict when patients might be deteriorating. 

These new projects are based on the launch last year of Healthcare NExT, an initiative to accelerate innovation in healthcare through artificial intelligence and cloud computing, Lee said.

Microsoft is in Booth 3832.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com