Microsoft recently released a report that predicted artificial intelligence (AI) to contribute over $15 trillion to the global economy by 2030. The tech giant has indeed highlighted the importance of AI several times in the recent past, explaining how it is keeping infrastructure safe, describing how it is helping the environment, and even releasing a book regarding the role of AI in manufacturing.
Today, Microsoft has announced a new partnership with healthcare company Providence St. Joseph Health that is aimed toward improving upon the future of healthcare. This will made possible by leveraging the Redmond giant"s AI services, the Azure cloud, and more.
A number of integrated solutions will be developed, making use of both the data and expertise provided by the healthcare firm, and the technology belonging to Microsoft. Not only will industry interoperability standards like FHIR be leveraged, but the services of Microsoft Azure will also employed to help the healthcare industry adopt the cloud at an improved pace. Clinical and operational decision-making will be primarily data-driven, with data sources existing in a secure cloud environment.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella commented on the new alliance in the following manner:
"Our alliance with Providence St. Joseph Health brings together the expertise of one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the country with the power of Azure, Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. Our ambition is to accelerate Providence St. Joseph Health’s digital transformation and to build new innovations together that are designed to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes."
Providence St. Joseph Health will capitalize on the situational advantage of its affiliate hospital facility being present in Seattle, Washington, near Microsoft"s Redmond headquarters. Innovative clinical solutions will first be introduced in this facility, with the goal of spreading them across the entire healthcare system of the Providence St. Joseph Health. The firm will also be using Azure as its preferred cloud platform as part of this deal, while simultaneously utilizing Microsoft 365 services, such as Teams, along with tech offerings, like Dynamics 365, to support patient engagement.
Incidentally, Microsoft recently launched a new podcast series based on the future of healthcare. The latest move indicates the tech giant"s commitment toward advancing the use AI in the health industry.