Australia is home to one of the best healthcare systems in the world, but where you live in the country is still a major predictor of your health outcomes. In fact, people living in remote Australian communities are 60% more likely to die of heart disease than those living in big cities.
That's why we're partnering with some of Australia's top health organizations on a new initiative. By combining Google's AI with local social care, we're helping to transform the way support is delivered to the people who need it most.
Partnership for preventive care and early intervention
We are proud to launch this initiative – a first in the Asia-Pacific region – alongside Wesfarmers Health and its SISU Health business, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and private not-for-profit health insurer Latrobe Health Services.
Supported by a $1 million AUD investment from Google Australia's Digital Future Initiative (DFI), this collaboration uses Google for Health's Population Health AI (PHAI). Currently a proof of concept available to selected partners, PHAI serves as an advanced analytics engine that helps identify hidden health risks within communities. The goal is to equip our partners with information that can help them move from treating problems to proactively managing the risks of a chronic condition.
Seeing the full picture with AI
Health is affected by more than just a visit to the doctor; it creates the environment we live in, closeness and care, access to fresh food, the air we breathe, etc. To capture this complexity, PHAI uses Google Earth AI's Population Dynamics Foundation Models (PDFM), along with other key data sets such as air quality, pollen and geographic information that help connect the dots.
By analyzing diverse, de-identified and aggregated data sets – from clinical records to geographic features – the model reveals hidden patterns at the societal level while protecting individual privacy. This allows health organizations to go beyond a “one-size-fits-all” approach, incorporating interventions tailored to the specific needs of a zip code or city.
