Ascension and Google working together on healthcare transformation

Ascension, one of the nation's leading non-profit health systems, is working with Google to optimize the health and wellness of individuals and communities, and deliver a comprehensive portfolio of digital capabilities that enhance the experience of Ascension consumers, patients and clinical providers across the continuum of care.

"As the healthcare environment continues to rapidly evolve, we must transform to better meet the needs and expectations of those we serve as well as our own caregivers and healthcare providers. Doing that will require the programmatic integration of new care models delivered through the digital platforms, applications and services that are part of the everyday experience of those we serve," said Eduardo Conrado, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Innovations, Ascension.

Ascension will improve the experience of patients and consumers, as well as providers and associates, and advance its Mission of providing compassionate, personalized care to all, especially people living in poverty and those most vulnerable, through new capabilities that include:

• Streamlining consumers' engagement with healthcare and empowering them to be proactively engaged in maintaining their health
• Improving the caregiver experience with technology and arming caregivers with insights that allow them to better predict and manage patient needs
• Improving the efficiency of Ascension's technology operations so that resources can be shifted from running isolated solutions to innovating within integrated platforms

The Ascension-Google collaboration will include:

• Modernizing Ascension's infrastructure by transitioning to the secure, reliable and intelligent Google Cloud Platform. Key elements of this work will focus on network and system connectivity, data integration, privacy and security, and compliance.
• Transitioning to Google's G Suite productivity and collaboration tools. Using G Suite will enhance Ascension associates' ability to communicate and collaborate securely in real time, supporting interdisciplinary care and operations teams across Ascension sites of care.
• Exploring artificial intelligence/machine learning applications that will have the potential to support improvements in clinical quality and effectiveness, patient safety, and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations, as well as increase consumer and provider satisfaction.

"Ascension is a leader at increasing patient access to care across all regions and backgrounds, particularly those in disadvantaged communities. We're proud to partner with them on their digital transformation," said Tariq Shaukat, President, Google Cloud. "By working in partnership with leading healthcare systems like Ascension, we hope to transform the delivery of healthcare through the power of the cloud, data analytics, machine learning, and modern productivity tools?ultimately improving outcomes, reducing costs, and saving lives."

All work related to Ascension's engagement with Google is HIPAA compliant and underpinned by a robust data security and protection effort and adherence to Ascension's strict requirements for data handling.

About Ascension
Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2019, Ascension provided $2 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes approximately 156,000 associates and 34,000 aligned providers. The national health system operates more than 2,600 sites of care ? including 150 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities ? in 20 states and the District of Columbia, while providing a variety of services including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, facilities management, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension's own group purchasing organization.