In only five months since Microsoft-backed OpenAI launched its AI-powered generative language tool ChatGPT, and just one month since GPT-4 was released— the latest version of their AI model— companies around the world are finding innovative ways to utilize it. Epic, a healthcare software giant, is the latest to join the bandwagon, integrating OpenAI services— including GPT-4— into their electronic health record (EHR) system through a partnership with Microsoft.
The integrated OpenAI services are part of Microsoft’s Azure AI platform, which can be applied to a wide range of language processes, from summarization and content generation to code generation. Through this partnership, Microsoft and Epic aim to increase provider productivity, minimize administrative workload, and improve patient experience by giving physicians more time to attend to their patients.
Initial testing began in several different healthcare facilities, like UC San Diego Health, UW Health, and Stanford Health Care, to ensure the technology would integrate seamlessly. Microsoft and Epic partnered with those healthcare systems and supplied them with a small subset of users, who have received training with proper context and understanding necessary to use the feature.
Besides integrating OpenAI’s AI model, Microsoft and Epic are also utilizing Microsoft’s natural language queries and interactive data analysis tools as part of SlicerDicer, Epic’s self-service reporting tool. This technology allows clinicians to explore their hypotheses about medical questions and get answers about the efficacy of their hospital.
Microsoft has been at the forefront of medical AI integration, with Nuance— a Microsoft-owned company— integrating GPT-4 into its clinical notetaking tool just the month prior. Through their partnership with Epic, Microsoft has the potential to drastically increase GPT-4 and OpenAI services’ reach to thousands of U.S. hospitals.
Epic is a privately-held, industry-leading healthcare software company based in Verona, Wisconsin, USA. Founded in 1987, the company provides integrated EHR software, health analytics and healthcare data management services. Their software currently serves over 250M patients globally and is used by 600K providers across 300,000 healthcare organisations.
The announcement of the expanded partnership between Microsoft and Epic was made by the CEO and curator of OpenAI, Sam Altman. Sam is also the co-founder of Y Combinator and has served as the president of the start-up accelerator since 2014. Before becoming the Y Combinator CEO, he has also been a venture capitalist, tech executive and an entrepreneur. Sam is a believer in the value of strong AI, advancing the message to use it more ethically, leveraging it to the fullest potential, and finding a way to inspire innovation on the global level.
