Google Cloud has introduced new generative AI (GenAI) capabilities in Vertex AI Search for healthcare, including a new feature, dubbed Visual Q&A tool, and integration of Gemini 2.0.
Vertex AI Search for healthcare is a specialised tool within the Vertex AI platform, designed to help developers build advanced search technologies for complex medical data.
With the addition of Visual Q&A and Gemini 2.0, the platform’s capabilities have been significantly enhanced.
Visual Q&A allows Vertex AI Search for healthcare to process images like tables and charts directly, without converting them into text.
Also, it enables the analysis of medical forms and diagrams, incorporating relevant information into search findings for clinicians.
Gemini 2.0 enhances the speed and accuracy of data retrieval, facilitating faster and more informed decision-making.
The enhanced AI capabilities provide healthcare professionals with a more comprehensive view of patient health by effectively searching through tables, charts, and diagrams.
Google Cloud healthcare strategy and solutions global director Aashima Gupta said: “We’re helping clinicians to work more efficiently with new multimodal capabilities embedded in Vertex AI Search for healthcare.
“Multimodal analysis processes diverse sources of patient data, like medical images and genetic information, for a more comprehensive understanding and improved decision-making.”
According to Google Cloud, multimodal AI technology plays a key role in healthcare, where around 90% of data exists in image form, such as x-rays and scans.
By integrating information from diverse sources, multimodal AI provides healthcare professionals with a holistic understanding of a patient’s health.
The AI technology helps healthcare providers make precise diagnoses, craft personalised treatment plans, and improve patient outcomes.
Google Cloud said several companies are using its Vertex AI Search for healthcare to enhance clinical workflows, including Counterpart Health, MEDITECH and Suki.
Counterpart Health is an AI-driven physician enablement company and is using the platform to deliver real-time, patient-specific insights, and improve value-based care.
MEDITECH has integrated AI-driven search and summarisation in its Expanse EHR, using Google’s search function for better information retrieval.
Also, Suki incorporated patient summarisation and clinical Q&A features into its Suki Assistant, streamlining care decisions.
