Ohio State and Microsoft form five-year healthcare AI partnership
The Ohio State University and Microsoft have entered a five-year strategic partnership focused on applying cloud technology, data and AI to clinical care, research, education and workforce development. The organizations will co-develop a smart hospital model, modernize technology systems and expand AI training across Ohio.
- Ohio State and Microsoft announced a five-year strategic partnership.
- The partners will co-develop a smart hospital model using Azure and IoT capabilities.
- Ohio State aims to move approximately 70% to 80% of storage and compute to Azure.
- Dragon Copilot is being used to draft clinical notes for clinician review.
- The partnership will expand AI learning and certification opportunities in Ohio.
A smart hospital model built on cloud and AI
The partnership brings together The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s healthcare, research and education expertise with Microsoft’s AI and cloud technologies. The organizations said their work will strengthen patient care, support the healthcare workforce, accelerate scientific discovery and expand opportunities for students and communities across Ohio.
One central project is a smart hospital model that connects facility, operational and clinical-support systems. The platform is already in use at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital and the James Outpatient Care facility. Initial work is focused on improving energy efficiency and resource use while establishing a common technology foundation based on Microsoft Azure and IoT capabilities.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center plans to extend these capabilities to more healthcare facilities. The work is also intended to inform the operation of the medical center’s new University Hospital and provide a reusable foundation for further innovation across the health system.
Azure migration and a unified data foundation
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center aims to move approximately 70% to 80% of Ohio State’s storage and compute to Microsoft Azure over the course of the partnership. The workloads include digital pathology and imaging. The medical center is also moving its electronic health record to Azure as a backup for business continuity.
According to the organizations, the cloud work is intended to create a simpler, more secure and resilient technology environment. It could help care teams maintain access to critical systems, reduce infrastructure complexity and give technology teams more time to improve care and advance research.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is creating a unified data foundation with Microsoft Fabric and OneLake. The system is designed to connect clinical, operational and research data across the medical center, colleges and regional campuses. Early potential uses include forecasting surgical demand, staffing needs and operating room use.
A secure research environment on Azure can provide investigators with governed access to appropriate, de-identified data while protecting privacy. The organizations say this approach could help authorized teams reach trusted insights faster and give researchers more time to pursue discoveries that may enable more personalized treatments.
AI support for clinicians and a broader talent pipeline
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Microsoft are deploying AI capabilities intended to reduce administrative work, support collaboration and give clinicians more time to listen, decide and care. The organizations said clinical judgment, human oversight and patient relationships will remain central.
Clinicians are using the ambient capabilities of Dragon Copilot to securely draft clinical notes from patient visits. Clinicians review and finalize the notes. The partners are also exploring AI-supported tumor-board workflows that could bring pathology, imaging, genomics and clinical history into a more coordinated view for multidisciplinary teams.
The partnership also includes AI learning, Microsoft Learn resources and certification opportunities for caregivers, researchers, faculty, staff and students. As Ohio State becomes a Microsoft Training Services Provider, it will have opportunities to broaden access to Microsoft training and certifications for students, employees and community members.
John J. Warner, chief executive officer of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and executive vice president at Ohio State, said the collaboration could help “reimagine the future of healthcare” by combining Ohio State’s academic medical expertise with Microsoft’s technological capabilities. For users, the announcement points to changes in how the medical center manages facilities, data and clinical workflows, while its education efforts are intended to build skills for healthcare, research, education and other fields.
