Generative AI comes to EHRs: Microsoft’s strong AI position could bring the company more healthcare cloud customers since its integrated AI tech with Epic can only be accessed on Azure.

On the back of its Azure Health Data Services launch, we unpack how Microsoft is on its way to leading the healthcare cloud market.

We unpack a new KLAS survey detailing what health system execs are looking for when selecting a cloud vendor.

Google Cloud and Epic restart partnership: We examine if it’s enough to move Google up the healthcare cloud rankings.

Health systems jump into the cloud to make digital healthcare more accessible: UC Davis Health partnered with AWS to roll out a digital health innovation center focused on health equity—we unpack why it matters and why more health systems may flock to AWS.

What Oracle’s rumored Cerner acquisition would mean for the EHR market: The reported $30 billion acquisition would put Oracle back on the map in healthcare cloud, and shake up the market dynamics between Epic and Cerner. More on this below.

Anthem, Humana JV could be a golden distro channel for DTx makers: The payers are developing a cloud-based pharmacy benefits management platform,—we unpack why its pricing transparency feature makes it a good choice for DTx vendors trying to get their therapies on drug formularies.

Despite high-profile investments in grocery and healthcare, the company has so far been unable to dominate those industries as it has in the ecommerce and cloud services sectors. Amazon recently overhauled its grocery business in a bid to grow its share of online grocery dollars and reduce supply chain costs, but Walmart still has a commanding lead.

Also includes fintech companies that have disrupted the industry and leverage the internet, mobile devices, software technology, or cloud services to provide traditional financial services (e.g., banking, insurance, and lending) and emerging financial services (e.g., payments, crowdfunding, cryptocurrency, and blockchain).

Also includes fintech companies that have disrupted the industry and leverage the internet, mobile devices, software technology, or cloud services to provide traditional financial services (e.g., banking, insurance, and lending) and emerging financial services (e.g., payments, crowdfunding, cryptocurrency, and blockchain).

Google’s Big Tech rivals and other industry players are also active in the cloud-based healthcare interoperability market. Earlier this year, Microsoft Azure unveiled a suite of tools designed to unify health data in the cloud as part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare. The company says its platform gathers data from diverse devices and apps and structures it in the cloud so it’s usable for clinicians.

Healthcare cloud competition is stiff and heating up. Google is a distant third in the $17.19 billion US healthcare cloud market, trailing leader AWS and Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare. Google holds an 8.4% share in 2022, compared with AWS’ 24.3%, according to our estimates.

Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare combines services from its Nuance, Azure IoT, and Teams divisions to help provider customers manage workflows, deploy virtual visits, and remotely monitor patients. Since its 2020 rollout, Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare has expanded its offerings. For example, earlier this year, Microsoft Azure unveiled a suite of tools designed to unify health data in the cloud.

Cloud technologies to secure and support the many data-intensive applications. Next-generation networks like 5G (and eventually 6G) to facilitate this digital transformation. 5G networks enable better use of technologies already in place in most hospitals, like:. Electronic health record (EHR) systems and patient portals. Telehealth and telemedicine platforms, as well as virtual nursing.

Moreover, Truveta has access to 15% of all health data in the US via its health system partnerships—combined with Microsoft’s cloud platform and AI-powered analytics, it could help providers make even faster and accurate clinical decisions.

Beginning in July 2021, the partnership allows merchants on the Adobe Commerce platform to store products in Walmart warehouses, sell products via Walmart Marketplace, and optimize delivery and click and collect using Walmart’s cloud resources. The launch of Walmart Luminate.

Google’s Cloud capabilities power virtual care. Amazon will soon shutter its Amazon Care arm, but will still deliver virtual care via One Medical. And Salesforce offers Health Cloud. Our take: Big Tech companies are not yet threatening incumbent digital health vendors in the areas that provider organizations most want to invest in.

Health systems and EHR companies are turning to cloud-based offerings from Big Tech players—including Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare—for data storage, management, exchange, and remote access. They’re also partnering with third-party apps and platforms—including Apple—that enable consumers to access and download their data as they choose.

Cloud breaches. Cloud breaches are becoming more common, as 73% of healthcare companies store data in the cloud, per Netwirx Cloud Data Security Report. 61% of healthcare respondents experienced an attack on their cloud infrastructure in 2022 via phishing, ransomware, or other malware attack. Most attacks were detected within minutes or hours, not days or weeks. 3.

Microsoft expanded its partnership with global pharma giant UCB in February to accelerate drug discovery and development using Microsoft’s computational AI and cloud capabilities. Also in February, it scored a partnership with one of the largest health systems in the US, Kaiser Permanente, to improve its cloud capabilities and personalize patient care.

It trails significantly behind Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare. Google only holds 8.4% of the $17.19 US healthcare cloud market, compared with AWS’ 24.3%, per Insider Intelligence’s estimates. But as more healthcare systems seek out cloud providers and patient data volume grows, Google could become an attractive option for major health systems.

Some of Google’s cloud customers will pilot the company’s Med-Palm 2 generative AI tool to see if it could reliably scan large amounts of patient data and answer complex medical questions. Google’s announcement came right after Microsoft rolled out updated generative AI tools that aim to automate workflows for health insurers.