Ascension’s Collaboration with Google: Setting the Record Straight
Over the past few days there has been extensive media coverage about Ascension’s collaboration with Google to create innovative systems to better serve the evolving needs of consumers, patients, and caregivers. We want to clear up some inaccuracies in the reporting to set the record straight about this innovative collaboration:
Anything but secret: Ascension’s work with Google has been anything but secret. In fact, Google first announced its work with us in July, on its Q2 earnings call. Acute care administrative and clinical leaders across Ascension have been informed of the work, enterprise-wide webinars have been held, and the clinical leaders of our employed physician group have been informed in detail about the project. In our deployment sites, front-line nurses and clinicians have not only been informed but have actively participated in the project.
About the data: Ascension’s clinical data, hosted in the Google Cloud Platform, is housed within an Ascension-owned virtual private space. Google is not permitted to use the data for marketing or research purposes. Hospitals and clinical software vendors across the country have converted or are in the process of converting to electronic health records stored in the cloud and soon the entire industry will be adopting this approach.
And it’s secure: All of Google’s work with Ascension is in compliance with applicable regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and is covered by a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) that governs Protected Health Information (PHI). Any exchange of PHI in connection with this work is for the purpose of helping our providers support patient care. This is standard practice in health care, as patient data is frequently managed in electronic systems that nurses and doctors widely use to deliver patient care. Our data will always be separate from Google’s consumer data, and it will never be used by Google for purposes such as targeting consumers for advertising.
How we get there: Ascension is working with Google to address the interoperability challenges that currently exist with patient medical records to allow for easy, accurate, and secure exchange of patient health information. The goal is to be able to pull clinical information from many different systems and sites of care into a consolidated view so caregivers are able to make the best decision for patients. The work we’re doing includes developing new technologies that enable our clinicians to find important clinical information easier so patients can be assured their caregivers have access to the right information to provide safe, effective care.
Our focus: Our focus is extending care to those who need it, especially those who are poor and vulnerable. Ascension has a long history of serving communities. Last year, we provided $2 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. This collaboration will allow our clinicians to more easily and securely access clinical information so that they can deliver high quality, affordable care to all.
We selected Google to help us on our journey of transformation. As a Catholic health ministry, we conducted an Ethics Review to ensure this collaboration is aligned with our Mission and Values, and that it is consistent with our Catholic identity.
This is groundbreaking work that will improve the experience of patients and consumers, as well as caregivers. As we develop and implement these new tools, it will be easier for patients and consumers to engage with the health care system, empowering them to be proactively engaged in maintaining their health. Caregivers will have a more valuable experience, with technology helping them achieve new insights so they can better predict and manage patient needs.
We’re excited about this opportunity to invest in technology-enabled services that address the toughest health care problems facing our nation and will help Ascension lead the transformation of health care.
Eduardo Conrado is EVP and Chief Strategy and Innovations Officer of St. Louis-based Ascension, a leading non-profit and Catholic health system.
