Google Plans To Launch Cloud Healthcare API, Aims To Make Life Easier With Health Data

Google has announced the launch of Cloud Healthcare API, which will be available for everyone. The Healthcare API is a service that facilitates the exchange of data between healthcare applications and solutions built on Google Cloud. The API allows organisations to consume and manage data from a range of inputs and systems, and then help to analyse that data through the use of privacy-preserving artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

As the COVID-19 taking the world by storm, it is expected that the Healthcare API could relieve this pressure and will offer more services, other than just document storage. The company has decided to make the service generally available, as the government is elevating the healthcare system through technology. If the service is adopted widely then it could be possible to make it easier for patients to access their own health information with the help of third-party apps.

Google describes the Healthcare API as a managed, scalable environment for building clinical and analytics applications that support HIPAA compliance. It believes that the service incorporates data loss prevention, policy and identity management tools. The software opens a platform for various healthcare service providers to build new systems using the new Google healthcare API. It will help them to translate and convert data stored in different types of systems such as imaging systems, medical records software, etc. They can also track all interactions with their data.

Meanwhile, Google is losing its image due to customer-targeted ads. To reassure the users, the company has said that they aren’t required to store in data in Google Cloud. From 21 April, the document for Healthcare API is meant for “storing and accessing healthcare data in Google Cloud, providing a critical bridge between existing care systems and applications hosted on Google Cloud”.

Google’s competitor in the domain, Microsoft Azure is helping patients and healthcare customers connecting to its electronic health records in the US.

If the service is implied in India, then it can lighten the burden of the government, that earlier used to prepare National Digital Health Blueprint for the citizens. With its offerings, patients can be benefitted equally just like the service providers. The utilisation of the Healthcare API can also give a boost to the various small and large companies and bring ease to the patients standing in the long queue.