Microsoft, Apple, Google Secure HIT Infrastructure Patents

Google, Microsoft, and Apple continue their efforts to break into the HIT infrastructure industry as they see value in securing patents for healthcare-oriented technology. Kalorama Information reported that about 84 percent of US hospitals have adopted basic EHR systems, indicating that it’s a lucrative vertical for major vendors to get into. Google, Apple, Microsoft have filed over 300 healthcare related patents between 2013 and 2017. "The EMR efforts have moved hospitals from paper to digital records," said Bruce Carlson, whose Kalorama Information has covered electronic medical records since 2007.  "The next step is for tech giants to glean the data and improve upon that infrastructure.  We'll be talking about EHR in different ways in the next ten years." Google’s patents include many focused on its artificial intelligence (AI) technology DeepMind and its healthcare disease and research entity Verily. Apple has filed over 50 patents that will allow the iPhone to be used as a medical device to track patient health. Microsoft’s patents include expanding on its AI technology to help monitor chronic disease. Microsoft also has other healthcare projects in the works including: Microsoft Genomics – Microsoft's Azure provides researchers and clinicians with highly accelerated, cloud-powered genomic processing services.