[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":345},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-what-the-hell-is-blockchain-what-does-it-mean-for-healthcare-and-pharma":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":173,"relatedBooks":344},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":32,"project_category":42,"contact_email_category":43,"yst_prominent_words":44,"class_list":55,"better_featured_image":72,"acf":109,"yoast_meta":118,"_links":120},17208,"2018-02-15T11:00:20","2018-02-15T09:00:20",{"rendered":9},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=17208","2022-05-19T12:27:14","2022-05-19T10:27:14","what-the-hell-is-blockchain-what-does-it-mean-for-healthcare-and-pharma","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhat-the-hell-is-blockchain-what-does-it-mean-for-healthcare-and-pharma",{"rendered":17},"What The Hell Is Blockchain And What Does It Mean For Healthcare And Pharma?",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2018. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Blockchain already earned the buzzword of the year award, so it is high time to address the elephant in the room. Is it really there? If it is, will it really change everything? How will it impact healthcare? \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Blockchain: More transformative than Trump on Twitter\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Don Tapscott, author of the book entitled \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.amazon.com\u002FBlockchain-Revolution-Technology-Changing-Business\u002Fdp\u002F151135769X\">Blockchain Revolution\u003C\u002Fa> said in his superb, no-frills \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ted.com\u002Ftalks\u002Fdon_tapscott_how_the_blockchain_is_changing_money_and_business?language=hu#t-1116028\">TED Talk\u003C\u002Fa> that blockchain is the technology that is likely to have the greatest impact on the next few decades. No, it’s not social media. No, it’s not big data, not robotics, not even artificial intelligence. It’s the technology behind the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Stop there for a moment. So, blockchain will have more transformative power on our lives than Facebook, Instagram and Donald Trump using Twitter for diplomacy? How? Why? When? Is that true or is it another bubble shaping up in front of our eyes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>When looking at how fast companies in various industries are adopting blockchain, the latter question is certainly worth considering. According to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.prnewswire.com\u002Fnews-releases\u002Fworldwide-blockchain-technology-market-is-anticipated-to-exhibit-a-cagr-of-587-between-2016-and-2024-elimination-of-third-parties-improves-demand-and-security-of-online-transactions--tmr-611067345.html\">Transparency Market Research\u003C\u002Fa>, the global blockchain technology market is expected to be worth $20 billion(!) by the end of 2024 as compared to $315.9 million in 2015. The overall market is anticipated to exhibit a 58.7 percent annual growth between 2016 and 2024. Moving faster than Elon Musk’s red Tesla Roadster in space. And the drivers of this massive expansion are innovators, start-ups, bold companies in finance, retail and manufacturing, government – and healthcare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Due to blockchain’s ties to cryptocurrencies, most people believe that the financial system will adopt the technology soonest, but \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ibm.com\u002Fblogs\u002Fthink\u002F2017\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-healthcare\u002F\">healthcare’s speed of leveraging blockchain seems to actually surpass it\u003C\u002Fa>. A new IBM Institute for Business Value blockchain study, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww-01.ibm.com\u002Fcommon\u002Fssi\u002Fcgi-bin\u002Fssialias?htmlfid=GBE03790USEN\">\u003Cem>Healthcare Rallies for Blockchain\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fa>, surveyed 200 healthcare executives in 16 countries. They found that 16 percent aren’t just experimenting; they expect to have a commercial blockchain solution at scale in 2017. Moreover, according to IBM’s estimation, another 56 percent will follow the first adopters until 2020. That means within 2 years!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Thus, it is high time to have a look at how and why the technology behind Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency in a great part powering criminals trading on the darknet could become the cornerstone of future healthcare. More briefly, let’s see what the hell blockchain is!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What The Hell Is Blockchain And What Does It Mean For Healthcare And Pharma? - The Medical Futurist\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FE1wcvcta6zw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Blockchain is the new word for trust online\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>On the Internet, nobody knows that you’re a dog\u003C\u002Fem>. Although Peter Steiner’s cartoon drawn for The New Yorker in 1993 is mostly associated with the issue of anonymity on the Internet, it highlights deeper problems in relation to trust, credibility, security, and privacy. In the era of fake news and online scam, it does not come as a surprise to anyone that it is difficult to secure information, communication processes or trade online. And it is especially important in case of such sensitive information as money or healthcare data.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In case of money, trust and credibility have long been established by central intermediaries, such as banks and other types of middlemen. You transfer money via your online bank account knowing it’s safe and secure because you trust the financial institution behind it. And in the case of online transactions, there has been another problem for which trustworthy intermediaries have meant the solution for years. The problem of duplications. When you send an e-mail with an attached cat photo, the image will automatically be copied. So, how do you make sure that doesn’t happen with your money? That the well-earned dollars that you spend on books will actually disappear from your bank account and appear on Amazon’s. In the case of digital assets like money, stocks or intellectual property, not to speak about electronic health records, authentication and accountability are key elements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Still, middlemen such as banks are too slow. And too expensive. While an e-mail arrives in seconds in another person’s mailbox, an international transfer could take several days, even weeks. And it is not even that secure, as it could be hacked more easily due to the banks’ centralized nature. As a response to all these issues, Satoshi Nakamoto, a mysterious Japanese programmer or a group, worked out the world’s first digital currency, Bitcoin and its underlying, supporting system, the blockchain. Since then, several types and modified versions of the technology appeared. As \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.economist.com\u002Fnews\u002Fleaders\u002F21677198-technology-behind-bitcoin-could-transform-how-economy-works-trust-machine\">The Economist explained\u003C\u002Fa>, blockchain enables an economy where trust is established not by central intermediaries but through consensus and complex computer code. It lets people who have no particular confidence in each other collaborate without having to go through a neutral central authority. Simply put, it is a machine for creating trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"619\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-the-trust-machine.jpg\" alt=\"Blockchain in Healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-17212\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-the-trust-machine.jpg 619w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-the-trust-machine-512x342.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-the-trust-machine-375x250.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 619px) 100vw, 619px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Blockchain is like a scarf knitted by your grandmother\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The concept and the operation of the technology are rather difficult, but it is perhaps easier to imagine with a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.newyorker.com\u002Fmagazine\u002F2017\u002F12\u002F18\u002Festonia-the-digital-republic\">nicely-put metaphor by The New Yorker’s Nathan Heller\u003C\u002Fa>. In his article about Estonia as a digital republic, he said that a blockchain is like the digital version of a scarf knitted by your grandmother. She uses one ball of yarn, and the result is continuous. Each stitch depends on the one just before it. It’s impossible to remove part of the fabric, or to substitute a swatch without leaving some trace: a few telling knots, or a change in the knit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>When The Medical Futurist asked Ivo Lohmus from \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fguardtime.com\u002F\">Guardtime\u003C\u002Fa>, an Estonian company developing K.S.I. blockchain technology, he said it is to be imagined as a shared book of records, or in more technical terms, a distributed database that’s designed in such a smart way that whatever is added to this database, that’s immutable. As if it’s carved into stone. Any change becomes immediately evident. Another aspect of the system is that there is no central authority to decide what’s right or wrong. The participants need to come to a consensus, to articulate some shared view of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>There are several methods for making a decision about a new entry based on the particular consensus, Medium’s \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedium.com\u002Fblockchain-review\u002Fhow-does-the-blockchain-work-for-dummies-explained-simply-9f94d386e093\">Collin Thompson explains\u003C\u002Fa> the proof of work process used by Bitcoin as the following: when a digital transaction is carried out, it is grouped together in a cryptographically protected block with other transactions that have occurred in the last 10 minutes and sent out to the entire network. Miners (members in the network with high levels of computing power) then compete to validate the transactions by solving complex coded problems. The first miner to solve the problems and validate the block receives a reward. The validated block of transactions is then timestamped and added to a chain in a chronological order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>New blocks of validated transactions are linked to older blocks, making a chain or blocks that show every transaction made in the history of that blockchain. The entire chain is continually updated so that every database in the network is the same, giving each member the ability to prove who owns what at any given time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-blocks.jpg\" alt=\"Blockchain In Healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-17213\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-blocks.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-blocks-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-blocks-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-blocks-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-blocks-444x250.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>The benefits of blockchain\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The technology has numerous benefits for online transactions, especially in the field of digital assets, such as health data. Blockchain’s time-sensitive nature allows any data to move around in that particular format only once in the network. The blocks are impossible to change; only new entries can be added to the network. This is critical in case of health data. Just imagine what might happen if someone could change a patient’s blood type in the health record system without anyone noticing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Ivo Lohmus said that many times, as in the case of the K.S.I blockchain which is used for the Estonian medical records system, the blockchain does not directly deal with the data. Through the cryptographic process, a unique identifier of the data, a hash, is created, which functions similarly to the biological fingerprint. While you can identify anyone based on his or her fingerprint, you cannot “reconstruct” the whole person. And finally, as the blockchain is based on the consensus of network participants, access to data can be linked to permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Beyond ensuring authentication and credibility, blockchain also \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedium.com\u002Fblockchain-review\u002Fhow-does-the-blockchain-work-for-dummies-explained-simply-9f94d386e093\">brings unprecedented security benefits\u003C\u002Fa>. Hacking attacks that commonly impact large, centralized intermediaries like banks would be virtually impossible to pull off on the blockchain. For example — if someone wanted to hack into a particular block in a blockchain, a hacker would not only need to hack into that specific block, but all of the proceeding blocks going back the entire history of that blockchain. And they would need to do it on every ledger in the network, which could be millions, simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-security.jpg\" alt=\"Blockchain In Healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-17214\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-security.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-security-768x521.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-security-512x347.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-security-369x250.jpg 369w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Blockchain in healthcare – Long instead of big data\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Blockchain has immense potential in healthcare. According to the IBM Institute for Business Value blockchain study, new adopters of the technology expect the greatest blockchain benefits across time, cost, and risk in three areas: clinical trial records, regulatory compliance, and medical\u002Fhealth records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It is capable of transforming the entire system of medical records, just as Estonia has already done. In March 2017, the Baltic country’s \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fpwc.blogs.com\u002Fhealth_matters\u002F2017\u002F03\u002Festonia-prescribes-blockchain-for-healthcare-data-security.html\">eHealth Authority signed a deal\u003C\u002Fa> with \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fguardtime.com\u002F\">Guardtime\u003C\u002Fa> to secure the health records of over a million Estonians. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fpatientory.com\u002F\">Patientory\u003C\u002Fa>, a start-up helping hospitals to secure their patient data while enabling patients to follow the fate of their own data, has urged the British government “to get behind a blockchain-enabled national IT health system” at the time of the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-nhs-ransomware-attack-data-privacy-in-digital-health-part-one\u002F\">NHS ransomware attack\u003C\u002Fa>. If there were political will and comprehensive financial support, other countries could also follow Estonia’s as well as Dubai’s lead. The latter has also started to test blockchain technology for securing its electronic medical records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Due to its time-sensitive nature, blockchains shift the lens from disparate bits of information held by a single owner, to the lifetime history of an asset. Instead of big data, capturing long-term data becomes more easily possible. And that’s exactly why it is the perfect solution when we need to document a patient’s health record to set up reliable vaccine registries or to secure the movement of drugs through the supply chain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"377\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fe-estonia.jpg\" alt=\"Blockchain In Healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-17215\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fe-estonia.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fe-estonia-768x333.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fe-estonia-512x222.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fe-estonia-458x198.jpg 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Blockchain in pharma\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The issue of counterfeit medicines, as the dark side of networked markets and globalization, has \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pharmaceutical-technology.com\u002Ffeatures\u002Fblockchain-pharma-opportunities-supply-chain\u002F\">become increasingly pressing, both in terms of the economic cost of this global black market and the risk to human life\u003C\u002Fa> that comes from taking counterfeit drugs. In many developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America, counterfeit drugs comprise between 10 percent and 30 percent of the total medicines on sale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Cindy Greatrex, Vice President of The National Alliance of Research Associates Programs remarked that for combatting fake pharmaceuticals a solution needs to be employed that stops the counterfeits from contaminating the supply chain. The best solution is to track pharmaceuticals so that digital systems linked to medication moving in the physical world are established. This is important because when you have a unique digital reference to a drug and a physical copy of that drug, it is much harder to erase or duplicate one without the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Blockchain offers security through transparency. It might work as follows: barcode-tagged drugs could be scanned and entered into secure digital blocks whenever they change hands. This ongoing real-time record could be viewed anytime by authorized parties and even patients at the far end of the supply chain. This would make it much more difficult for criminal networks to sell their counterfeit drugs on the market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, the advantages of blockchain for pharma does not stop there. Drug developers running clinical trials might be able to share clinical data and medical samples more securely. And while blockchain underpins the digital currencies demanded in ransomware attacks, the technology could also play a role in securing sensitive industry data from malicious attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-in-pharma.jpg\" alt=\"Blockchain in Healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-17216\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-in-pharma.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-in-pharma-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-in-pharma-512x384.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fblockchain-in-pharma-333x250.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It’s clear that blockchain will have a massive impact on dealing with healthcare data. It’s also worth looking at news about blockchain differently than those related to Bitcoin. The blockchain is a technology, Bitcoin is a product of it. As it is going to be more and more widespread in the future, we’ll keep on writing about the many ways blockchain can support healthcare and pharma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fthemedicalfuturist.us8.list-manage.com\u002Fsubscribe?u=5b42ebb547c75ff669a6572d3&id=efd6a3cd08\">\u003Cb>Subscribe To The Medical Futurist℠ Newsletter\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\u003Cli>News shaping the future of healthcare\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Advice on taking charge of your health\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Reviews of the latest health technology\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Blockchain already earned the buzzword of the year award, so it is high time to address the elephant in the room. Is it really there? If it is, will it really change everything? How will it impact healthcare? \u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,17226,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31],799,[33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41],289,313,356,425,816,817,246,271,275,[],[],[45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54],1729,1795,1883,2915,2917,2927,1625,1683,1693,1719,[56,14,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71],"post-17208","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-security-privacy","tag-innovation","tag-medicine","tag-pharma-2","tag-technology-2","tag-blockchain","tag-security","tag-future","tag-health","tag-healthcare",{"id":24,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":73,"media_details":74,"post":5,"source_url":108},"image",{"width":75,"height":76,"file":77,"sizes":78,"image_meta":105},870,489,"2018\u002F02\u002Fdqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1.png",{"medium":79,"large":85,"thumbnail":90,"medium_large":94,"large_old_512x288":95,"medium_old_444x250":100},{"file":80,"width":81,"height":82,"mime-type":83,"source_url":84},"dqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-370x208.png",370,208,"image\u002Fpng","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fdqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-370x208.png",{"file":86,"width":87,"height":88,"mime-type":83,"source_url":89},"dqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-768x432.png",768,432,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fdqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-768x432.png",{"file":91,"width":92,"height":92,"mime-type":83,"source_url":93},"dqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-150x150.png",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fdqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-150x150.png",{"file":86,"width":87,"height":88,"mime-type":83,"source_url":89},{"file":96,"width":97,"height":98,"mime-type":83,"source_url":99},"dqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-512x288.png",512,288,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fdqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-512x288.png",{"file":101,"width":102,"height":103,"mime-type":83,"source_url":104},"dqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-444x250.png",444,250,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fdqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1-444x250.png",{"aperture":106,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":106,"copyright":27,"focal_length":106,"iso":106,"shutter_speed":106,"title":27,"orientation":106,"keywords":107},"0",[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2018\u002F02\u002Fdqmrg8amjxdlwugm7pxvxpvevhz5ehigqfmrsr8lntjrasl-1.png",{"related_posts":110,"related_posts_footer":114,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},[111,112,113],17644,17522,17427,[115,116,117],13095,17254,20749,{"yoast_wpseo_title":17,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":119,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"Is blockchain only a buzzword or does it have a real potential to transform medicine. The Medical Futurist analyzes blockchain in healthcare.",{"self":121,"collection":127,"about":130,"author":133,"replies":136,"version-history":139,"predecessor-version":143,"wp:featuredmedia":147,"wp:attachment":150,"wp:term":153,"curies":169},[122],{"href":123,"targetHints":124},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F17208",{"allow":125},[126],"GET",[128],{"href":129},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[131],{"href":132},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[134],{"embeddable":26,"href":135},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[137],{"embeddable":26,"href":138},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=17208",[140],{"count":141,"href":142},14,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F17208\u002Frevisions",[144],{"id":145,"href":146},46169,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F17208\u002Frevisions\u002F46169",[148],{"embeddable":26,"href":149},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F17226",[151],{"href":152},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=17208",[154,157,160,163,166],{"taxonomy":155,"embeddable":26,"href":156},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=17208",{"taxonomy":158,"embeddable":26,"href":159},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=17208",{"taxonomy":161,"embeddable":26,"href":162},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=17208",{"taxonomy":164,"embeddable":26,"href":165},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=17208",{"taxonomy":167,"embeddable":26,"href":168},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=17208",[170],{"name":171,"href":172,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[174],{"id":117,"date":175,"date_gmt":176,"guid":177,"modified":179,"modified_gmt":180,"slug":181,"status":13,"type":14,"link":182,"title":183,"content":185,"excerpt":187,"author":23,"featured_media":189,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":190,"categories":191,"tags":199,"project_category":214,"contact_email_category":218,"yst_prominent_words":219,"class_list":227,"better_featured_image":253,"acf":283,"yoast_meta":299,"_links":302},"2023-10-26T10:00:00","2023-10-26T08:00:00",{"rendered":178},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=20749","2023-10-24T20:08:44","2023-10-24T18:08:44","googles-masterplan-for-healthcare","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fgoogles-masterplan-for-healthcare",{"rendered":184},"Google’s Masterplan For Healthcare",{"rendered":186,"protected":20},"\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-group\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-group\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-group\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-group\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\u003Cp>With \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.telegraph.co.uk\u002Ftechnology\u002F2019\u002F03\u002F10\u002Fgoogle-sifting-one-billion-health-questions-day\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">7% of Google searches\u003C\u002Fa> – or 70,000 per minute – being health-related a good number of years ago, it was only a matter of time before the search giant aimed to be a healthcare giant. Google hasn’t been particularly shy at expressing these ambitions: it \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fgoogles-acquisition-of-fitbit-boon-or-doom-for-the-fitness-tracking-industry\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">purchased Fitbit for $2.1 billion\u003C\u002Fa> and has a \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdeepmind.com\u002Fblog\u002Fannouncements\u002Fdeepmind-health-joins-google-health\" target=\"_blank\">dedicated healthcare offshoot\u003C\u002Fa> from its AI branch, Deepmind. It is also the first company that publicly announced the development of a dedicated healthcare-specified AI model, called Med-PaLM. And as the variety of listed solutions on the \u003Ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fhealth.google\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">Google Health page\u003C\u002Fa> shows, the company has something to offer to everyone, from patients and caregivers to communities, and researchers.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In this series exploring the latest moves by tech giants into healthcare, we recently analysed \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Famazon-in-healthcare-disruption-data-nightmares-and-digital-health-dreams\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon\u003C\u002Fa> and provided insights into the trends they are adopting. For now, let’s turn our focus on Google’s plan for the future of healthcare. Of note, we will treat Google, Alphabet, and Verily under the same umbrella. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI here, AI there, AI everywhere\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Google is probably best known for the algorithmic prowess of its search engine. But since it acquired DeepMind, it has intended to expand this expertise elsewhere, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fdeepmind.com\u002Fblog\u002Fannouncements\u002Fdeepmind-health-joins-google-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">including healthcare\u003C\u002Fa>. And its efforts are showing promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In August 2020, they \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fai.googleblog.com\u002F2020\u002F08\u002Fusing-machine-learning-to-detect.html\" target=\"_blank\">introduced C2D2\u003C\u002Fa>, a machine learning-based approach to improving colonoscopy screening. In the ensuing months, Google further put its AI as well as cloud computing expertise to use in new partnerships. In 2021, HCA Healthcare and Alphabet’s Google Cloud \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cnbc.com\u002F2021\u002F05\u002F26\u002Fjim-cramer-googles-new-health-care-venture-is-reason-to-buy-alphabet.html\" target=\"_blank\">announced a collaboration\u003C\u002Fa> to develop algorithms to mine insights into patient records from the provider to improve efficiency and patient outcomes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Also launched in 2020, Google’s mammography AI system starts bringing in \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zdnet.com\u002Farticle\u002Fgoogle-health-expands-ai-powered-breast-cancer-screenings-integration\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tangible results\u003C\u002Fa> by now. Recent studies show that using AI to support radiologists in breast cancer screening \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zdnet.com\u002Farticle\u002Fai-can-conduct-breast-cancer-screenings-in-less-time-than-humans-but-just-as-well-study-finds\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">can significantly reduce screen reading workload\u003C\u002Fa> with comparable cancer detection efficiency as standard double-reading. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>But of course, in 2023 all eyes are on \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fgenerative-ai-explained-its-impact-and-future-in-healthcare\" target=\"_blank\">generative AI\u003C\u002Fa>. While Google may have seemed a little quiet during the ChatGPT craze, the company has set its focus on developing specialized models, like Med-PaLM, a large language model \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmedpalm-new-ai-medical-chatbots-will-soon-be-better-than-waiting-for-a-doctor\u002F\">specifically designed to work in healthcare settings\u003C\u002Fa> and showing jaw-dropping \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002F3Ud-BMOCkDI?si=w2aSDr_uykaMzz8x&t=279\" target=\"_blank\">improvements in accuracy\u003C\u002Fa> in its new, Med-PaLM 2 iteration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_365-768x432.png\" alt=\"AI medical coding doctor, hospital, clinic, man, laptop, computer\" class=\"wp-image-51069\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_365-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_365-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_365-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_365-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F06\u002Ftmf_article_365.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The model was not released to the general public. In the first round, it was accessible to Google Cloud customers in the healthcare and life sciences segment, such as HCA Healthcare, Mayo Clinic and Meditech. A while ago Google announced they are expanding this access to a\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcaredive.com\u002Fnews\u002Fgoogle-med-palm-ai-expansion-healthcare\u002F691677\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> wider circle of healthcare players\u003C\u002Fa>.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In October 2023 Google also revealed a new \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fiercehealthcare.com\u002Fhealth-tech\u002Fhlth23-google-cloud-rolls-out-new-generative-ai-search-tools-doctors-life-sciences\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AI-powered search tool designed for doctors and nurses\u003C\u002Fa>. According to the company, the medically-tuned generative AI-powered search is able to mine various data sources, including FHIR data, patients’ clinical notes, and other medical information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>While Med-PaLM currently seems to be the most advanced of large language models in terms of healthcare accuracy, Google faces stiff competition. Microsoft, for instance, has secured its place in clinics with Nuance’s Dax and Dragon AI systems, tools used by hundreds of thousands of US doctors. When it comes to the cloud market, Google ranks fourth, trailing Amazon, Microsoft, and Alibaba. Nevertheless, the generative AI in healthcare race is still wide open, and \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.forbes.com\u002Fsites\u002Fkatiejennings\u002F2023\u002F08\u002F29\u002Fgoogle-healthcare-generative-ai\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google has lots of tricks\u003C\u002Fa> in its sleeves.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Google in the cloud\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Maybe not the largest player in the cloud market, but Google has promising initiatives, like this one,\u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcareitnews.com\u002Fnews\u002Fgoogle-cloud-teams-carecloud-bring-generative-ai-small-practices\" target=\"_blank\"> lending much-needed processing power to smaller healthcare practices\u003C\u002Fa>. We already \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fcloud-gaming-can-bring-artificial-intelligence-to-the-doctors-office\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">discussed in great detail\u003C\u002Fa> how smaller healthcare entities will need cloud solutions to access advanced AI features as they won’t have the means to invest in cutting-edge hardware that is able to run state-of-the-art algorithms. Instead of expensive hardware upgrades, the processing power is handled remotely, thus physicians can ask complex clinical questions and gain deeper insights, with evidence-based recommendations derived from analysing datasets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F05\u002Ftmf_article_362_AI_doctor_robot-768x432.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50863\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F05\u002Ftmf_article_362_AI_doctor_robot-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F05\u002Ftmf_article_362_AI_doctor_robot-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F05\u002Ftmf_article_362_AI_doctor_robot-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F05\u002Ftmf_article_362_AI_doctor_robot.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcareitnews.com\u002Fnews\u002Fgoogle-cloud-teams-carecloud-bring-generative-ai-small-practices\" target=\"_blank\">Google-CareCloud cooperation\u003C\u002Fa> does exactly that: “By using Google’s offerings such as Vertex AI and Generative AI App Builder, the company is developing tools to bring physicians at smaller practices the same AI-enabled capabilities that are increasingly available at large hospitals and health systems.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Research endeavours\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As it carried out research with its AI algorithms in healthcare, Google seems to have grown interested in broader, population-level medical research. In 2020, the tech giant launched Google Health Studies, an app dedicated to medical research. It allows any user to participate by reporting their symptoms, the steps they are taking to prevent getting ill, and if they’ve had relevant tests. Their first study was focusing on respiratory diseases like the flu and COVID-19.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This approach can help provide researchers with more relevant patient data and from a larger pool. But it also raises privacy concerns over the handling of such data. Also, \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fplay.google.com\u002Fstore\u002Fapps\u002Fdetails?id=com.google.android.apps.health.research.studies&hl=en&gl=US&pli=1\" target=\"_blank\">recent user reviews\u003C\u002Fa> are very far from enthusiastic. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, Google seems determined to move forward with medical research. They \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fiercebiotech.com\u002Fmedtech\u002Fverily-taps-former-fda-deputy-commissioner-abernethy-to-lead-clinical-research-business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">appointed Dr. Amy Abernethy\u003C\u002Fa>, the FDA’s former principal deputy commissioner, as president of its Verily branch’s clinical research business in 2021. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Famyabernethy\u002Frecent-activity\u002Fall\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">She leads the development of a platform for clinical trials\u003C\u002Fa> and real-world evidence studies; as well as oversees Verily’s ongoing clinical research projects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Point-of-care technologies projects\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Just like Apple has a strong focus on turning patients into the point of care, Google is working on similar projects. In March 2021, Verily \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fiercehealthcare.com\u002Fpayer\u002Falphabet-s-verily-joins-highmark-google-cloud-project-living-health\" target=\"_blank\">announced its partnership\u003C\u002Fa> with Highmark Health for the Living Health Initiative. The latter aims to redesign healthcare delivery with a focus on patients. This collaboration will employ Verily’s digitally-enabled tools for personalized chronic care management of conditions like congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F04\u002Ftmf_article_357-768x432.png\" alt=\"TMF, medical student, AI, doctor, data, computer\" class=\"wp-image-50547\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F04\u002Ftmf_article_357-768x432.png 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F04\u002Ftmf_article_357-370x208.png 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F04\u002Ftmf_article_357-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F04\u002Ftmf_article_357-2048x1152.png 2048w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2023\u002F04\u002Ftmf_article_357.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In a rather unexpected move, Google decided to revisit a healthcare area it previously failed to pierce into: health records. In April 2021, \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.statnews.com\u002F2021\u002F04\u002F09\u002Fgoogle-health-records-app-care-studio\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cem>Stat News\u003C\u002Fem> reported\u003C\u002Fa> that the tech giant is working on \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcaredive.com\u002Fnews\u002Fgoogle-user-testing-personal-health-record\u002F636667\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">a consumer-facing medical records tool\u003C\u002Fa> to make it easier for patients to see, organise, and share their health data.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The move was rather unexpected because the company already had a similar venture that was \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theverge.com\u002F2021\u002F4\u002F12\u002F22379846\u002Fgoogle-health-record-data-app-android\" target=\"_blank\">shut down in 2012\u003C\u002Fa>. Again, this is a field that has multiple tech companies’ interest, for example, Apple has been working on the electronic medical records-health app integration \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.informationweek.com\u002Fit-leadership\u002Fapple-partners-with-epic-mayo-clinic-for-healthkit\" target=\"_blank\">for a few years\u003C\u002Fa>, with mixed results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Regulatory setback and refocus \u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Like its competitors, Google has also faced some setbacks in the past few years. The FDA \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcaredive.com\u002Fnews\u002Ffda-rejects-verily-filing-for-wrist-worn-parkinsons-clinical-trial-device-google\u002F602015\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rejected Verily’s request\u003C\u002Fa> to use its wearable in a clinical trial to monitor alterations in motor symptoms of patients with Parkinson’s. The regulatory body \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcaredive.com\u002Fnews\u002Ffda-rejects-verily-filing-for-wrist-worn-parkinsons-clinical-trial-device-google\u002F602015\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">did clear Verily’s device\u003C\u002Fa> to monitor ECG and irregular pulse but rejected the request for this new feature. FDA \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.healthcaredive.com\u002Fnews\u002Ffda-rejects-verily-filing-for-wrist-worn-parkinsons-clinical-trial-device-google\u002F602015\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said that\u003C\u002Fa> the device and associated motor examination “are limited in their capacity to evaluate meaningful aspects of concepts of interest that are relevant to the patients’ ability to function in day-to-day life.” \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Business Insider \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.businessinsider.com\u002Fgoogle-health-splitting-reorganization-sending-employees-fitbit-search-2021-6?r=US&IR=T\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">released an exclusive report\u003C\u002Fa> in 2021 detailing how the company has moved Google Health employees to other groups within the company. The Google Health branch will no longer focus on consumer tech, as this is \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mobihealthnews.com\u002Fnews\u002Fgoogle-downsizes-health-division-reorganizes-consumer-health-team\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mainly driven by the Fitbit team\u003C\u002Fa>. With Google revisiting old projects, refocusing its health team’s efforts and announcing new partnerships, it seems like the tech giant’s healthcare plans are all over the place. But this might be because Google indeed wants to be everywhere in healthcare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>However, the latest developments indicate that the most promising avenues for the company are AI, remote monitoring software, and cloud computing. But Google is also notorious for pulling the plug on even the most ambitious projects of its projects. The \u003Ca rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fkilledbygoogle.com\u002F\" target=\"_blank\">Google Graveyard\u003C\u002Fa> is a testament to that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>So, it’s safe to say that we shouldn’t get too attached to a project set forth by Google, even if it could revolutionise healthcare. But we can expect the tech giant to keep branching out in various areas of healthcare as it aims to have a strong foothold on the market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Written by Dr. Bertalan Meskó & Dr. Pranavsingh Dhunnoo\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n",{"rendered":188,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>AI for medical use, cloud services for healthcare practices, apps for research – Google is everywhere in the digital health field. But the competition is fierce, and the race is still wide open. \u003C\u002Fp>\n",35327,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[192,193,194,195,196,197,198,31],504,798,521,490,488,496,497,[33,200,201,36,202,203,204,205,206,207,39,208,209,210,211,212,213,41],373,806,821,134,924,144,936,207,260,262,6055,266,7279,531,[215,216,217],947,951,953,[],[52,220,45,221,222,47,223,224,225,226],1723,1797,1833,2351,2935,1571,1631,[228,14,57,58,59,60,61,229,230,231,232,233,234,235,62,63,236,237,66,238,239,240,241,242,243,69,244,245,246,247,248,249,71,250,251,252],"post-20749","category-artificial-intelligence","category-digital-health-research","category-future-medicine","category-future-of-pharma","category-genomics","category-health-sensors-trackers","category-portable-diagnostics","tag-research","tag-tech","tag-a-i","tag-ai","tag-longevity","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-verily","tag-digital-health","tag-genetics","tag-genomics","tag-deepmind","tag-google-2","tag-alphabet","tag-google-deepmind","project_category-company","project_category-patients","project_category-researchers",{"id":189,"alt_text":27,"caption":27,"description":254,"media_type":73,"media_details":255,"post":281,"source_url":282},"Google’s Masterplan for Healthcare",{"width":256,"height":257,"file":258,"sizes":259,"image_meta":280},1920,1080,"2021\u002F08\u002Ftmf_article_281-02.png",{"medium":260,"large":265,"thumbnail":270,"medium_large":274,"1536x1536":275},{"file":261,"width":262,"height":263,"mime-type":83,"source_url":264},"tmf_article_281-02-370x208.png","370","208","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F08\u002Ftmf_article_281-02-370x208.png",{"file":266,"width":267,"height":268,"mime-type":83,"source_url":269},"tmf_article_281-02-768x432.png","768","432","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F08\u002Ftmf_article_281-02-768x432.png",{"file":271,"width":272,"height":272,"mime-type":83,"source_url":273},"tmf_article_281-02-150x150.png","150","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F08\u002Ftmf_article_281-02-150x150.png",{"file":266,"width":267,"height":268,"mime-type":83,"source_url":269},{"file":276,"width":277,"height":278,"mime-type":83,"source_url":279},"tmf_article_281-02-1536x864.png","1536","864","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F08\u002Ftmf_article_281-02-1536x864.png",{"aperture":106,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":106,"copyright":27,"focal_length":106,"iso":106,"shutter_speed":106,"title":27,"orientation":106},34907,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2021\u002F08\u002Ftmf_article_281-02.png",{"related_posts":20,"related_posts_footer":284,"subtitle":27,"cta_type":288,"cta_color":27,"related_books":289,"key_takeaways":292},[285,286,287],52901,42091,47151,"subscribe",[290,291],24761,24759,[293,295,297],{"title":294},"\u003Cp>Google is intensifying its focus on healthcare, leveraging its AI capabilities, with significant advancements like the Med-PaLM model and a new AI-powered search tool specifically designed for medical professionals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"title":296},"\u003Cp>Despite its efforts, Google faces stiff competition in multiple healthcare segments, preventing it from being unequivocally declared as the leader in any specific area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"title":298},"\u003Cp>Google’s track record of discontinuing projects warrants caution, suggesting that while its ambitions are vast, not all ventures may have enduring impacts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"yoast_wpseo_title":300,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":301,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":182},"Google's Masterplan For Healthcare - The Medical Futurist","Google in healthcare: with about 70,000 health-related searches per minute, the tech giant knows what people want. And it's ready to give them.",{"self":303,"collection":308,"about":310,"author":312,"replies":314,"version-history":317,"predecessor-version":321,"wp:featuredmedia":325,"wp:attachment":328,"wp:term":331,"curies":342},[304],{"href":305,"targetHints":306},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F20749",{"allow":307},[126],[309],{"href":129},[311],{"href":132},[313],{"embeddable":26,"href":135},[315],{"embeddable":26,"href":316},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=20749",[318],{"count":319,"href":320},50,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F20749\u002Frevisions",[322],{"id":323,"href":324},53147,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F20749\u002Frevisions\u002F53147",[326],{"embeddable":26,"href":327},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F35327",[329],{"href":330},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=20749",[332,334,336,338,340],{"taxonomy":155,"embeddable":26,"href":333},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=20749",{"taxonomy":158,"embeddable":26,"href":335},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=20749",{"taxonomy":161,"embeddable":26,"href":337},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=20749",{"taxonomy":164,"embeddable":26,"href":339},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=20749",{"taxonomy":167,"embeddable":26,"href":341},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=20749",[343],{"name":171,"href":172,"templated":26},[],1787036565401]