HCA, Google Cloud bringing generative AI to hospitals

Editor's Note

The Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA), on August 29, announced a new collaboration with Google Cloud to bring generative artificial intelligence (AI) to its hospitals.

Emergency department physicians at four HCA hospitals are already using Google’s AI technology and Augmedix to create accurate and timely medical notes from conversations with patients. Physicians review and finalize the notes before they are transferred to the hospital’s electronic health record.

Another important application will be in improving patient handoffs between nurses. Experts from HCA’s Care Transformation and Innovation team built a system using one of Google Cloud’s large language models that helps automatically generate handoff reports, including information such as medication changes, laboratory results, vital sign fluctuations, patient concerns, and response to treatment.

During initial beta testing, nurse feedback was collected to further refine the tool. The tool is undergoing continued testing at UCF Lake Nona Hospital in Orlando, Florida.