Dive Brief:
- Nashville-based Change Healthcare is partnering with Google Cloud to develop imaging solutions for healthcare providers.
- The collaboration will wed Google Cloud’s machine-learning technology with Change’s software and analytics with the goal of bringing actionable insights to care teams.
- “These combined solutions built on Google Cloud Platform have the potential to provide a scalable data infrastructure that better supports the needs of healthcare providers with more relevant, pervasive, and cost-effective solutions,” according to a recent news release.
Dive Insight:
The collaboration is the latest sign of the healthcare industry’s enthusiasm for the cloud.
Earlier this month, Meditech launched a new cloud-based EHR for critical access hospitals. The integrated solution — available via a monthly subscription — aims to improve workplace efficiency and quality of care.
Health systems are also looking to the cloud to meet their storage needs — seeing it as a more cost-effective, secure and efficient alternative to physical data centers. The trend reflects the industry’s realization that “not only is the cloud secure for healthcare data but it’s probably more secure than what they’re able to do inside of a hospital,” Paul Butler, director at Top Tier Consulting, told Healthcare Dive earlier this year.
This is Change’s second major technology announcement this fall. In September, the company debuted its enterprise-scale blockchain technology for revenue cycle management in hospitals and health systems. The new technology uses Hyperledger Fabric 1.0, an open source blockchain framework hosted by the Linux Foundation. It is expected to go live on Change’s administrative and financial networks by year’s end.