Athenahealth patients can ask Claude about their medical records now

ZDNET’s cardinal takeaways

• Athenahealth patients tin consult Anthropic’s Claude.
• The concern provides the AI with entree to delicate wellness information.
• Athenahealth claims the information cannot beryllium utilized to bid Anthropic models.

A large US healthcare supplier conscionable teamed up with Anthropic to link diligent wellness records with Claude. 

Athenahealth, a healthcare supplier serving over 20% of the US population, launched a Model Context Protocol (MCP) compatible server that connects to Anthropic’s Claude. The server, named AthenaPatient MCP, allows the AI exemplary to stitchery accusation from wellness records and reply related questions. The process is secure, according to Athenahealth, and requires patients to motion successful with their relationship credentials. 

AthenaPatient MCP is disposable lone to Claude Pro and Claude Max users, which outgo $20 and $100 per month, respectively. Not each Athenahealth patients volition person their information shared with Claude, and not each Claude Pro and Claude Max users indispensable opt in. Users indispensable springiness Claude their authenticated Athenahealth credentials, tin take which wellness accusation Claude tin access, and tin revoke entree astatine immoderate time, according to the property release.

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Once authorized, Claude takes patients’ accusation similar laboratory results, vitals, medications, wellness conditions, immunizations, sojourn history, diagnostic reports, allergies, procedures, and attraction plans into relationship erstwhile answering questions. 

The AI concern does not supply aesculapian advice, according to Sam Lambson, vice president of merchandise management, information & ecosystem astatine Athenahealth, who responded to ZDNET successful an email. It besides should not regenerate a clinician’s nonrecreational judgement oregon aesculapian advice. “Patients should interaction a qualified healthcare nonrecreational with questions astir diagnosis, treatment, oregon changes to their care,” Lambson said.

It appears that the AthenaPatient MCP instrumentality is designed to assistance patients amended recognize the accusation provided by wellness professionals, alternatively than to springiness them aesculapian advice. So, 1 whitethorn inquire AthenaPatient MCP astir their latest humor trial results, specified arsenic “What was my astir caller reddish humor compartment count?” but users shouldn’t expect Claude to explicate however an abnormally precocious oregon debased number whitethorn impact them.

Not the archetypal of its kind

Partnerships betwixt large tech and large healthcare aren’t new. In fact, the collaboration betwixt Athenahealth and Anthropic follows a larger inclination crossed the wellness tech industry. Earlier this year, Microsoft teamed up with Mayo Clinic to make an AI exemplary for healthcare; Boston Children’s Hospital forged a concern with OpenAI to make an endeavor AI strategy for usage crossed research, clinical, and administrative teams, according to a property release. 

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A increasing fig of Americans are consulting AI for aesculapian advice. A caller survey from Pew Research Center recovered that 34% of US adults person talked with a chatbot for aesculapian advice. This concern makes the process somewhat much unafraid by authorizing diligent relationship credentials earlier granting the exemplary entree to wellness records.

Health information is highly valuable, and tech companies are progressively funny successful partnering with healthcare providers to entree it. Much of the “AI could cure cancer” messaging we perceive relies connected these humongous companies obtaining capable wellness information to bid their AI models and nexus illness information to diligent data. This is not to say, however, that solving this analyzable contented is the motive down the concern betwixt Athenahealth and Anthropic.

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A much tenable mentation for specified a concern is that an AI that tin reply diligent queries could destruct immoderate of the admin enactment doctors bash betwixt diligent visits, similar answering questions astir trial results, giving Athenahealth doctors immoderate clip back.

Will partnerships similar Anthropic and Athenahealth’s amended diligent outcomes? That remains to beryllium seen, but a recent survey by Pew Research Center recovered that Americans aren’t that assured connected the matter. The largest shares of respondents inactive preferred that a quality oversee AI erstwhile it’s utilized successful a objective context.

Nina Raemont

Editor, Wearables & Health Tech

Nina Raemont is ZDNET's Health and Wearables Editor based successful New York City. She is perpetually investigating retired wellness trackers and ever has astatine slightest 2 (but usually three) astir her fingers oregon wrist. She was formerly an Associate Writer for CNET. She is simply a postgraduate of the University of Minnesota. In her spare time, she's successful her kitchen, trying a caller baking recipe. See afloat bio