Google and one of the largest health-care systems in the U.S. have been using personal health information on millions of patients in 21 states, in part to develop new medical software, according to documents reviewed by Forbes.
Patients and doctors have not been notified of the initiative called “Project Nightingale,” which appears to be the largest health-care push yet by a Silicon Valley giant, according to the story, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The data is used in part to design new software to improve patient outcomes.
Google secretly launched the program last year with Ascension, the nation’s second-largest healthcare system, the newspaper said, citing internal documents. At least 150 Google employees have access to data on millions of patients, including their health histories, names and dates of birth. The data also includes lab results, diagnoses and hospitalization records.
Although some Ascension employees have questioned the way the data is being collected and shared, it appears to be legal under federal law which allows hospitals and business partners to share data if the information is used “only to help the covered entity carry out its health care functions,” the Journal reported.
Google and Ascension, in a news release, said the program complies with federal law and has safeguards to protect patient privacy.
The goal is “ultimately improving outcomes, reducing costs, and saving lives,” Google Cloud president Tariq Shaukat said in the news release. Ascension, based in St. Louis, is a Catholic chain of 2,600 hospitals and other facilities. Its goal with Project Nightingale is to improve patient care, while also generating more patient revenue. It is also looking for a faster record-keeping system.
