Google’s AI and telemedicine to bridge healthcare gaps

In the coming years, AI may change the way we look at our current healthcare system. Through the use of telemedicine and clever AI technology, doctors will be able to reach and provide treatment to patients that are hundreds, if not, thousands of kilometers away. Though the idea isn’t new, the technological hurdles that accompanied it, for decades, seemed insurmountable.

This however, is changing. Tech entrepreneur, Rafael Figueroa, created Portal Telemedicina to help tackle this pressing issue. His company utilizes modern technology to reduce treatment times and cost barriers to quality medical care. Partnering Google in its acceleration program, the Brazilian native’s company has managed to speed up its advancements to allow his tech to be effective.

Rafael’s company helps link rural clinics with major healthcare facilities in the capital. A patient that lives in the rural rain forest can visit his/her local clinic for an X-Ray. The results can then be sent electronically via the cloud to specialist physicians in Sao Paulo. The attending doctor can then provide the necessary diagnosis to said patient without much inconvenience to either party.

This is a topic that hits close to home for Rafael. A misdiagnosis in 2013 nearly took part of his mobility. He had no choice but to rush to to a facility in Sao Paolo where he underwent surgery and spent the next six months unable to walk. It was during this time that he came to realize the difficulties linking healthcare facilities with with people in need of proper treatment.

Portal’s telediagnostic platform helps doctors achieve better accuracy and treat more patients with the help of artificial intelligence (Google’s TensorFlow machine learning platform). The system checks results against AI predictions. Should a discrepancy arise, it sends the exam to three other doctors to ensure accuracy and reduce the chance of human error.

Portal’s system uses more than 30 million exam results and health records that the AI can use to learn and reference in order to conclude medical findings at or above a human doctor’s accuracy. This speaks volumes of its eventual contribution to the healthcare sector. It has the potential to help circumvent problems related to doctor shortages and overcrowded hospitals.

More than 500 rural clinics in rural places in Brazil and Angola use Portal’s technology. It has even been recognized by the United Nations, and is 1 of only 10 companies in the world to be a part of Accelerate2030, an initiative that helps entrepreneurs that are working towards achieving the UN’s sustainability development goals.

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