According to reports, Google is disbanding its health technology program and assigning its projects to other teams. The head of the department has left the company. According to reports, Dr. David Feinberg will leave Google to join electronic medical records company Cerner as its CEO and president. According to Business Insider reports, the various projects and teams that make up Google Health are being split into other departments of Google.
In a memo sent to Google employees on Thursday, Google research director Jeff Dean announced that the company’s health department will no longer operate as a single plan. Some teams previously organized by Dr. Feinberg, such as Google Health’s clinical team, will now report to Dean.
Google firmly believes in the power of technology to improve health and wellness, and we have increased our investment in the health of the entire company, Google told Business Insider. This includes developing projects in Google Health, launching and expanding health-related features on search, maps, and YouTube, which cover billions of people and welcome the addition of Fitbit.
As early as February 2020, Google Health had about 500 employees. Some of its projects include cooperation with cloud services for medical institutions and a tool that makes it easier for doctors to search patient health records.
The news of Google’s health reorganization came a day after a report indicated that Apple was shrinking a specific health team, which focused on an internal health application. Apple has been expanding its focus on health for many years. The company released a series of health technologies early in 2021, including safe sharing with doctors and health-focused tools on the iPhone and Apple Watch.
