Introducing MedLM for the healthcare industry | Google Cloud Blog

MedLM: generative AI fine-tuned for the healthcare industry

Improving healthcare and medicine are among the most promising use cases for artificial intelligence, and we’ve made big strides since our initial research into medically-tuned large language models (LLMs) with Med-PaLM in 2022 and 2023. We’ve been testing Med-PaLM 2 with healthcare organizations, and our Google Research team continues to make significant progress, including exploring multimodal capabilities.

Now we’re introducing MedLM — a family of foundation models fine-tuned for healthcare industry use cases. MedLM is now available to Google Cloud customers in the United States through an allowlisted general availability in the Vertex AI platform. MedLM is also currently available in preview in certain other markets worldwide.

Currently, there are two models under MedLM, built on Med-PaLM 2, to offer flexibility to healthcare organizations and their different needs. Healthcare organizations are exploring the use of AI for a range of applications, from basic tasks to complex workflows. Through piloting our tools with different organizations, we’ve learned the most effective model for a given task varies depending on the use case. For example, summarizing conversations might be best handled by one model, and searching through medications might be better handled by another. The first MedLM model is larger, designed for complex tasks. The second is a medium model, able to be fine-tuned and best for scaling across tasks. The development of these models has been informed by specific healthcare and life sciences customer needs, such as answering a healthcare provider’s medical questions and drafting summaries. In the coming months, we’re planning to bring Gemini-based models into the MedLM suite to offer even more capabilities.

Many of the companies we’ve been testing MedLM with are now moving it into production in their solutions, or broadening their testing. Here are some examples.

HCA Healthcare adopting ambient medical documentation with Augmedix

For the past several months, HCA Healthcare has been piloting a solution to help physicians with their medical notes in four emergency department hospital sites. Physicians use an Augmedix app on a hands-free device to create accurate and timely medical notes from clinician-patient conversations in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Augmedix’s platform uses natural language processing, along with Google Cloud’s MedLM on Vertex AI, to instantly convert data into drafts of medical notes, which physicians then review and finalize before they’re transferred in real time to the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR).

With MedLM, the automated performance of Augmedix’s ambient documentation products will increase, and the quality and summarization will continue to improve over time. These products can save time, reduce burnout, increase clinician efficiency, and improve overall patient care. The addition of MedLM also makes it easier to affordably scale Augmedix’s products across health systems and support an expanding list of medical subspecialties such as primary care, emergency department, oncology, and orthopedics.

BenchSci improving pre-clinical research and development

Drug research and development is slow, inefficient, and extremely expensive. BenchSci is bringing AI to scientific discovery to help expedite drug development, and it is integrating MedLM into its ASCEND platform to further improve the speed and quality of pre-clinical research and development.

BenchSci’s ASCEND platform is an AI-powered evidence engine that produces a high-fidelity knowledge graph of more than 100 million experiments, decoded from hundreds of different data sources. This allows scientists to understand complex connections in biological research, presenting a thorough grasp of empirically validated and ontologically derived relationships, including biomarkers, detailed biological pathways, and interconnections among diseases. The integration of MedLM works to further enhance the accuracy, precision and reliability, and together with ASCEND’s proprietary technology and data sets, it aims to significantly boost the identification, classification, ranking, and discovery of novel biomarkers — clearing the path to successful scientific discovery.

Working with Accenture to improve healthcare access, experiences, and outcomes

To spur enterprise adoption and value, we’ve also teamed up with Accenture to help healthcare organizations use generative AI to improve patient access, experience, and outcomes. Accenture brings its deep healthcare industry experience, solutions, and the data and AI skills needed to help healthcare organizations make the most of Google’s technology with human ingenuity.

Aimed at healthcare process improvement, Accenture’s Solutions.AI for Processing for Health interprets structured and unstructured data from multiple sources to automate manual processes that were previously time-consuming and prone to error, like reading clinical documents, enrollment, claims processing, and more. This helps clinicians make faster, more informed decisions and frees up more time and resources for patient care. Using Google Cloud’s Claims Acceleration Suite, MedLM, and Accenture’s Solutions.AI for Processing, new insights can be uncovered — ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.

Working with Deloitte to improve provider search

Healthcare organizations are often bogged down with administrative tasks and processes related to documentation, care navigation, and member engagement. Deloitte and Google Cloud are working together with our mutual customers to explore how generative AI can help improve the member experience and reduce friction in finding care through an interactive chatbot, which helps health plan members better understand the provider options covered by their insurance plans.

Deloitte, Google Cloud, and healthcare leaders are piloting MedLM’s capabilities to make it easier for care teams to discover information from provider directories and benefits documents. These inputs will then help contact center agents better identify best-fit providers for members based on plan, condition, medication and even prior appointment history, getting people faster access to the precise care they need.

MedLM: The future of our medical generative AI

As we bring the transformative potential of generative AI to healthcare, we’re focused on enabling professionals with a safe and responsible use of this technology. That’s why we’re working in close collaboration with practitioners, researchers, health and life science organizations, and the individuals at the forefront of healthcare every day. We’re excited by the progress we’ve seen in just one year — from building the first LLM to obtain a passing score (>60%) on U.S. medical-licensing-exam-style questions (published in Nature), to advancing it to obtain an expert level score (86.5%), to applying it in real-world scenarios through a measured approach. As we reflect on 2023 — and close out the year by expanding MedLM access to more healthcare organizations — we’re excited for the progress and potential ahead and our continuing work on pushing forward breakthrough research in health and life sciences.

Introducing MedLM for the healthcare industry | Google Cloud Blog

eHealth Exchange--It all began in 2007

It only took 17 years

In November at the Annual eHealth Exchange Meeting The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), announced today that nationwide health data exchange governed by the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common AgreementSM (TEFCA) is now operational. ONC has led a multi-year, public-private process alongside its Recognized Coordinating Entity®, The Sequoia Project, Inc., to implement TEFCA, which was envisioned by the 21st Century Cures Act. As a result, patients will have increased access to their records, and health care providers and plans can improve their secure exchange of electronic health information.

This announcement is akin to the AT&T announcement the U.S. telephone network was complete, allowing calls throughout the United States connecting hundreds of local and regional telephone companies to connect a call from New York to California and in between.

This was at a time when microwave transmission was just begun and the internet was a dream of DARPA.

It began when President George W. Bush created the Office of the National Coordinantor and appointed David Berwick MD as it's founding leader.

Small things can grow into large entities. It grew from the ground up with stimulus and prodding by HHS in terms of incentives, and standards.  Carrots such as bonus payments, grants, and sticks such as penalties for not adopting EHR and market competition  catalyzed what we now present.

STATE OF THE NETWORK. (slides)

eHealth Exchange: eHealth Exchange is a Network of Networks also connecting federal agencies and non-federal healthcare organizations so medical data can be exchanged nationwide to improve patient care and public health.

Research progress on digital health literacy of older adults: A scoping review - PMC

With the rapid development of digital health today, the lack of digital health literacy in older adults is an urgent problem. Older adults must adapt to digital reform in medical treatment, pension, health management, and other fields. Therefore, we reviewed the current development status of digital health literacy among older adults. A total of 47 articles were included in this scoping review. Our findings revealed that research on digital health literacy in older adults is still in its infancy. Further development is warranted especially in terms of assessment tools and intervention methods.

These days, older adults are overrun with a surge of high-tech products focused on improving their self-reliance and safety and providing life enhancement. At a touch of a button or two, seniors can automatically pay a visit “in person” with friends and relatives through Skype, wear a pendant that responds with emergency help when needed, and even remain safe from wandering with specialized sensors attached to apparel or shoes.

The question becomes how to inspire older adults (and family members who care for them) to shift from a low-tech mindset to enjoying all that’s available to them. New Horizons In-Home Care wants to help families overcome technology hurdles for seniors. AARP reports that as few as 7% of family care providers are using technology solutions in their care, but that 71% are interested in using technology that would help make caregiving easier. Why is there such a massive gap between the interest and use of care technology solutions?

Some typical hurdles:

Stigma. Many people see the use of some technology, such as medical alert pendants, as equal to a loss of their freedom.

Finding help. Troubleshooting problems with technology leads many older adults and their caregivers to quit attempting to get devices to work.

A lack of time. Carving out time to learn and attempt something new is particularly daunting for busy families who care for their loved ones.

If you'd like to try and integrate healthcare technology into senior caregiving but are facing these difficulties, call New Horizons In-Home Care and our team in senior care in Eugene and the surrounding areas for assistance. Our competent and patient care professionals can help overcome the technological obstacles by:

Recommending technology that fits a senior's personality and challenges

Providing instruction on how to use the technology

Inspiring seniors to use technology requires catering to their specific needs and highlighting the ways it can enrich their lives. Here are some key strategies:

Focus on Personal Relevance:

Start with their interests: What are they passionate about? Can technology connect them to hobbies, learning opportunities, or communities related to those interests?

Focus on tangible benefits: Show them how technology can make their lives easier, safer, and more enjoyable. Examples include video calls with family, online shopping, medication reminders, or health tracking apps.

Address pain points: Does loneliness or isolation concern them? Show how technology can connect them with loved ones or offer access to online communities.

Make it Easy and Enjoyable:

Choose user-friendly devices and apps: Large screens, simplified interfaces, and voice controls can make technology more accessible.

Start small and celebrate small wins: Begin with basic tasks and gradually build their confidence. Acknowledge their progress and celebrate their achievements.

Offer patient, personalized support: Be prepared to answer questions, offer step-by-step guidance, and encourage exploration at their own pace.

Make it fun: Introduce them to engaging games, puzzles, or educational apps that can foster a positive association with technology.

Build Confidence and Address Concerns:

Focus on safety and security: Educate them about online scams, phishing attempts, and password security. Offer resources and tools to help them stay safe online.

Be patient and understanding: Learning takes time and patience. Acknowledge their anxieties and address them with empathy and reassurance.

Show them they're not alone: Highlight the growing community of seniors embracing technology and share the success stories of others their age.

Connect them with support networks: Introduce them to senior-focused tech classes, workshops, or support groups where they can learn from and encourage each other.

Additional Resources:

AARP Tech Support: https://www.aarp.org/technology/how-to-guides/

TechBoomers: https://techboomers.com/

Senior Planet: https://seniorplanet.org/

GrandPad: https://www.grandpad.net/ (tablet designed for seniors)

Remember, inspiring seniors to use technology is a journey, not a destination. By showing them its value, making it accessible, and offering support, you can help them unlock new possibilities and enrich their lives.

Research progress on digital health literacy of older adults: A scoping review - PMC

More Older Adults Plan to Use Digital Health Technologies as They 'Age in Place'

Most older adults are using or plan to use assistive and digital health technologies as they age in place in the comfort of their homes.

U.S. News & World Report recently surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults aged 55 and older who shared why they are or aren’t using assistive health-related technologies, what their goals were of aging in place, which technologies they use the most and what their experiences were.

An overwhelming majority of respondents (93%) said aging in place is an important goal of theirs. Aging in place is considered the ability to live in one’s home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income or ability level, according to the CDC.

The report shared the nation’s population is getting older and there will be more older adults in the U.S. than children in the coming decades. The U.S. Census Bureau projects there will be 77 million people aged 65 and over, compared to 76.5 million under the age of 18 by 2034.

The Census also noted the number of people aged 65 and older in the U.S. has grown from 35 million in 2000 to approximately 55 million in 2020. In these last 20 years, older adults have been increasingly embracing technology, which should be beneficial as assistive technologies will become a necessity as they age in place.

In the report, the U.S. News team used the third-party survey platform Pollfish to conduct the national survey. Participants were comprised 57% of females while those identifying as male represented the remaining 43%.

Dara shared there are many reasons adults 55 and older may choose to incorporate health-related technologies into their day-to-day routines, but nearly half (49%) claim that general aging is their primary reason. Mobility impairments (28%), such as arthritis and fibromyalgia, and hearing impairments (22%) are the second- and third-most-reported catalysts for using assistive or health-related technologies, according to the report.

Of the 47% surveyed who say they don't use assistive or health-related technologies (70%) don’t feel they need them yet. Another 16% shared they can’t afford the technologies, and 14% reject the technologies because they don’t want to lose their independence.

Those who use some type of assistive or health-related technology (53%), mainly use medical or health-related mobile apps (25%) and wearable medical or health-related trackers (17%). Service-related apps that help with things like grocery and food delivery are also popular, with 24% of respondents saying they use them.

The COVID-19 pandemic also brought more seniors online to stay connected with others and limit exposure to the virus. According to U.S. News’ Aging in Place With Assistive Tech Survey, more than a third of respondents increased their use of assistive or health-related technologies due to COVID.

Though most assistive technologies provide benefits toward aging in place, there are of course challenges.

When using assistive or health-related technologies, people 55 and older say the things that matter most are that it’s easy to use (75%), easy to set up (50%), accessible using a mobile app (38%), and wireless (37%).

To tackle the learning curve of using their devices, respondents say they rely on product guides (30%), family and friends (22%), and health care workers (19%) to help them.

Cost-of-living increases also make it more difficult for older adults to age in place, as well as a concern around privacy older adults have.

Though, as the U.S. population continues to age, it’s clear older adults generally have a strong desire to age in place, or live in their homes for as long as possible.

Data revealed 88% of respondents assert that assistive or health-related technologies have improved their quality of life. Using assistive or health-related technologies from home not only makes life for older Americans easier, but it also provides a sense of independence for more than half of survey respondents (55%). They also feel notably safer (44%) and healthier (33%) when using these technologies.

As older adults experience the changes and challenges that come with aging, the survey reveals they are willing to adopt new assistive or health-related technologies to extend their time in their homes and make it as safe and easy as possible.

More Older Adults Plan to Use Digital Health Technologies as They 'Age in Place'