Google has a plan for incorporating artificial intelligence into its healthcare offerings and now its lobbyists are working to influence future regulations, according to Politico.
Lawmakers are questioning whether Google's plans for rolling out advanced AI before regulations are released could put patient data at risk and reinforce biases. Google already has AI partnerships with health systems including Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic to deploy tools examining medical records, research papers and more to help clinicians diagnose and treat patients.
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is also using Google's AI tools for clinical notes to support physicians and nurses. Meditech, an EHR company, has partnered with Google as well to auto-generate clinical documentation and summarize patient histories.
Google maintains its technology is only deployed in "limited capacity" and not trained on personal health information, according to the report. The tech giant did release an AI policy agenda in November and aims to partner with the government to explain the technologies as lawmakers develop standards.
Google's AI-based products include:
- Licensed algorithm for beast and lung cancer detection
- A tool for diagnosing diabetic retinopathy
- A bot to answer questions
The mobile phone is the focal point for Google's healthcare efforts, according to the report.
"So much will happen just from a device that’s honestly pretty inexpensive and in the hands of a huge chunk of the planet," said Karen DeSalvo, chief health officer at Google, told Politico. "I'm pretty keen to think about that as a platform for people, for consumers."