Deloitte and Google Cloud announced plans to collaborate on a suite of advanced solutions for the life sciences and healthcare industries.

The joint release was short on details, stating only that the solutions would help accelerate the pace of biomedical research, improve healthcare access, optimize operations, and modernize the management of health data.

WHY IT MATTERS

The announcement comes as health systems, payers, and hospitals alike are all struggling with the challenges of digital transformation, including better use of data analytics to drive value-based care.

Google Cloud provides a secure, open and intelligent enterprise cloud platform built on Google's private network.

The company offers tools across its Google Cloud Platform and G Suite designed to help foster collaboration and the sharing of ideas and information.

[Implementation best practices: Migrating to the cloud]

Back in January, the Deloitte Life Sciences and Health Care Practice issued a report predicting the future direction of healthcare, where radically interoperable data will lead to highly personalized or hyper-local, consumer-centric health.

The company believes this radically interoperable data, open and secure platforms and AI, empower and engage consumers to more proactively own their own journey of health.

THE BIGGER TREND

Healthcare organizations are increasingly using advanced analytics tools such as machine learning and AI to extract insights from data that drive differentiation, cost reduction and improved user experience.

These developments are taking place as large health systems are expecting to move the majority of their applications and infrastructure to the cloud, in order to improve patient experience, make the hardest parts of tech invisible to users and equip them with patient-facing technologies such as virtual visits.

Already, cloud-based descriptive analytics has led to the development of data science, AI and machine learning, and the cloud has also provided the ability to share data with third parties through the cloud.

Data management and advanced data insights are expected to be major healthcare tech development trends this year as the amount and types of healthcare data grow and it becomes increasingly complex to manage, and more complex to use for insight generation.

In September 2018, CareCloud announced it would use Google’s Healthcare API to extend its interoperability, patient experience, and practice management services to ambulatory customers.

Nathan Eddy is a healthcare and technology freelancer based in Berlin.

Email the writer: nathaneddy@gmail.com

Twitter: @dropdeaded209 

Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.