Computer software technology corporation Nuance Communications, a Microsoft company, in collaboration with Providence, a not-for-profit health system, is set to transform the healthcare landscape by accelerating AI innovation on a grand scale. As part of their extended collaboration, the organizations aim to propel in-house solutions development, advance clinical research, and foster collaborations between health systems and healthcare IT vendors.
"This highly productive collaboration between Microsoft, Nuance, and Providence exemplifies how new, innovative AI applications paired with deep healthcare expertise and the scale of the Azure cloud are transforming healthcare delivery. We are accelerating the development and adoption of AI solutions in healthcare by leveraging the security, scale, and reliability of the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and incorporating previously siloed data streams into state-of-the-art large language models and generative AI that can offer vital insights and recommendations to improve operational efficiency and care outcomes," Robert Dahdah, CVP, Global Health and Life Sciences, Microsoft
Having already succeeded in migrating solutions to the cloud at scale, Providence, in partnership with Nuance and Microsoft, is dedicated to developing and adopting generative AI-powered applications. Some deployments include Nuance's conversational, ambient, and generative AI solutions, such as the Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) and Dragon Medical One, as well as the largest implementation of the Nuance PowerScribe radiology reporting solution in the United States.
Just a few days ago, Microsoft and Cognizant joined forces to transform healthcare administration by integrating generative AI capabilities.
Key areas of focus
Leveraging the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, the aim is to simplify interoperability, enhance operational efficiency, and facilitate clinical decision-making through AI-generated insights from multimodal data. The Azure-based cloud platform ensures secure, privacy-protected data access, accelerating the development and adoption of AI solutions at scale across the healthcare industry.
Providence plans to create and enhance purpose-built AI-powered applications, such as Providence MedPearl, facilitating primary care physicians in making appropriate referrals for increased patient access to specialized care. Other in-house solutions include ProvidenceChat, a secure alternative to general-purpose chatbots, and innovations like Grace and ProvARIA, streamlining patient communication and reducing provider workloads.
Pioneering clinical research solutions
The collaboration will expand the deployment of solutions like Nuance DAX Copilot, which automates clinical documentation creation during patient exams, giving physicians more time for personalized care. Additionally, the Patient Support Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) will be piloted at Providence's Patient Engagement Center to enhance the patient experience through MyChart.
It will also utilize expanded data access, complementary technologies, and subject matter expertise to accelerate the development of solutions addressing healthcare's priority challenges and improving patient outcomes.
Built on trust and Microsoft's Responsible AI principles, Nuance and Microsoft healthcare solutions aim to create connected experiences at every point of care. These innovations assist healthcare organizations, foster collaboration, and unlock the value from clinical and operational data, adhering to data standards crucial for the healthcare industry.
"Microsoft and Nuance's unparalleled expertise, depth of AI applications, and scale enables us to uplevel our innovation, with each organization bringing tremendous value to the partnership. Our expanded collaboration enables us to rapidly scale and increase the capabilities of many of our existing solutions while creating more personalized and satisfied experiences for patients and providers alike," said BJ Moore, Executive Vice President and CIO at Providence.
