USA – Microsoft has introduced a new suite of AI-powered tools aimed at transforming healthcare operations.
These include medical imaging models, a healthcare agent service, and an automated documentation solution for nurses, all designed to accelerate AI application development and alleviate administrative burdens on clinicians.
According to a report by the U.S. Surgeon General, nurses can spend up to 41% of their time on documentation, a significant contributor to burnout.
The new AI-driven tools aim to reduce this burden, allowing healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care.
Mary Varghese Presti, Vice President of Portfolio Evolution and Incubation at Microsoft Health and Life Sciences, emphasized the potential of AI in healthcare, saying, “Integrating AI into healthcare can reduce strain on medical staff, enhance collaboration, and improve efficiency across healthcare systems.”
AI to address healthcare needs
This launch follows Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to establish a leadership role in healthcare AI. Last October, the tech giant introduced AI-powered features for its Azure cloud and Fabric analytics platform.
Additionally, in 2021, Microsoft acquired Nuance Communications, a leader in speech-to-text AI solutions, for US $16 billion, further expanding its AI capabilities in healthcare.
Microsoft’s latest AI models are open-source and multimodal, capable of analyzing various data types, including medical images, clinical records, and genomic data.
These models aim to help healthcare organizations build more efficient applications for tasks such as cancer diagnosis and genomic analysis.
Advancements in medical imaging and diagnostics
One notable collaboration is between Microsoft and Providence Health & Services. Together, they developed a whole-slide pathology model capable of improving mutation prediction and cancer subtyping.
Unlike traditional models that focus on small slide segments, this model processes entire pathology slides, making it easier for healthcare organizations to fine-tune it to their specific needs.
Dr. Carlo Bifulco, Chief Medical Officer at Providence Genomics, highlighted the importance of these models: “The advancements in AI for medical imaging are expected to drive significant progress in cancer research and diagnostics.”
Automating administrative tasks for nurses
Microsoft also partnered with Epic, a leading electronic health records (EHR) provider, to ease the administrative workload for nurses. Transforming Nursing Workflows with AI-Driven Solutions
With a projected shortage of 4.5 million nurses by 2030, Microsoft has prioritized AI solutions to support the nursing profession.
In collaboration with major healthcare organizations like Advocate Health and Duke Health, Microsoft is developing AI-powered ambient technology to streamline nursing documentation.
Together, they developed AI-powered tools using ambient technology to automate nursing documentation tasks.
This system generates draft flowsheets for nurses, allowing them to focus more on patient care and less on paperwork.
Early feedback from health systems such as Duke Health and Northwestern Medicine indicates that these tools are already improving workflow efficiency.
Corey Miller, Vice President of R&D at Epic, noted, “AI is transforming nursing workflows, letting nurses focus on patient care. Nurses already using these tools have reported enhanced interactions with patients.”
Duke University Health System’s Chief Nurse Executive, Terry McDonnell, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the role of AI in reducing burnout: “By automating tedious tasks, Microsoft’s AI solution helps nurses spend more time at the bedside, making a real difference in patient care.”
Corey Miller, VP of R&D at Epic, remarked, “AI is transforming nursing workflows, allowing nurses to focus more on patient care.”
Public preview of AI and data solutions
Microsoft is also launching new features within Microsoft Fabric, currently in public preview, aimed at improving healthcare data integration.
These tools will harmonize various datasets, including social determinants of health (SDOH) and CMS claims data, to provide comprehensive care management analytics.
Organizations can also use DAX Copilot to integrate and analyze conversational data, streamlining patient interactions and generating actionable insights.
