Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has announced the availability of its Cloud Healthcare API that would enable access to health information by patients through third-party apps. The service enables the sharing of information between the healthcare applications and the Cloud Healthcare API.
Google’s Cloud Healthcare API enables patients to access health data
This is an interesting development for healthcare systems following the expected new government mandate that will require Google Healthcare API to enable patients to access their health data. Organizations will be able to manage and ingest data from various systems through API and then analyze it using machine learning and AI.
The technology will minimize the burden on healthcare systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Google notes that collating data is very challenging for organizations and healthcare systems but the API will give them a chance to interact with data through health plans and endpoints while at the same time supporting security, patient access as well as interoperability.
The Google Healthcare API incorporates various identity management, data loss control, as well as encryption solutions. Customers will be able to select where the system has stored their data and then they can apply practices such as the least privilege code. The API is integrated with Cloud Audit Logs and thus they can be able to track actions affecting their data.
Concerns about Google’s advertising model and use of customer data
However, there are concerns about the use of customer data considering Google’s advertising business is based on using personal information to target ads. This is something that has been criticized before creating negative publicity as well as derailed some past healthcare initiatives. Google is among the leading cloud technology providers behind Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).
The company has however indicated that its API system will not be strong personal data despite helping patients access their healthcare information. Google said that customers should not store data in the cloud. Microsoft is also offering its healthcare API through Microsoft Azure which helps patients connect to healthcare data through sources like electronic records.
