Microsoft introduces new AI-powered innovations for healthcare, including advanced models, data solutions, and nursing workflow enhancements.
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| Microsoft's AI-powered innovations are addressing critical challenges in healthcare, such as workforce shortages and rising costs. Symbolic Image |
Redmond, Washington, USA – October 11, 2024:
Microsoft Corporation unveiled a suite of groundbreaking innovations within Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare on Thursday. The innovation has been designed to revolutionize patient care, empower healthcare workers, and unlock unprecedented insights from data. These advancements, centered around artificial intelligence (AI), aim to address critical challenges facing the healthcare industry and pave the way for a healthier future.
At the heart of these innovations are new healthcare AI models available in Azure AI Studio. Developed in collaboration with leading healthcare organizations, these models enable the integration and analysis of diverse data types, from medical imaging to genomics and clinical records. By leveraging these advanced models, healthcare organizations can rapidly build, fine-tune, and deploy AI solutions tailored to their specific needs, while minimizing the extensive compute and data requirements traditionally associated with developing such complex models from scratch.
"The development of foundational AI models in pathology and medical imaging is expected to drive significant advancements in cancer research and diagnostics," said Carlo Bifulco, MD, chief medical officer of Providence Genomics and a co-author of the Prov-GigaPath study. "These models can complement human expertise by providing insights beyond traditional visual interpretation and, as we move toward a more integrated, multimodal approach, will reshape the future of medicine."
Another pivotal innovation is the general availability of healthcare data solutions in Microsoft Fabric. Historically, healthcare data has been notoriously difficult to access due to its unstructured nature and the limitations of existing data management systems. This has hindered organizations' ability to gain a comprehensive view of patient experiences and extract valuable insights. With Microsoft Fabric, healthcare organizations can now overcome these barriers by reshaping how users access, manage, and act on data with a single, unified AI-powered platform.
In addition to these advancements, Microsoft is announcing the public preview of healthcare agent service in Copilot Studio. This service empowers organizations to build Copilot agents for various tasks, such as appointment scheduling, clinical trial matching, and patient triaging. By leveraging this service, healthcare organizations can create connected patient experiences, improve clinical workflows, and empower healthcare professionals, while ensuring compliance with industry expectations. Early adopters, like Cleveland Clinic, have already begun using these innovations to enhance patient experiences and improve operational efficiency.
To further support the nursing profession, Microsoft is collaborating with several leading healthcare organizations to build an AI solution using ambient technology that addresses nursing documentation. This solution automates the drafting of flowsheets for review, allowing nurses to focus less on paperwork and more on patient care. This innovation expands on Microsoft's long-standing strategic collaboration and joint development initiatives with Epic.
"AI is transforming nursing workflows by streamlining administrative tasks, allowing nurses to focus more on patient care," said Corey Miller, vice president of R&D at Epic. "Together with Microsoft, we're using AI-powered ambient voice technology to populate patient assessments. Nurses using the tool are already sharing positive feedback on how it enhances personalized patient interactions."
Microsoft's commitment to responsible AI is evident in the development of these new solutions. The company's AI principles, established in 2018, guide the development and use of AI technologies, ensuring that they have a positive impact on both the healthcare ecosystem and society as a whole. By adhering to these principles, Microsoft is building AI solutions that are safe, reliable, and beneficial to all.