And in July, the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) cloud hosting service teamed up with Texas-based ClearDATA to let healthcare organizations up their security and protection game.

“Our partnership with Google Cloud gives those wanting to innovate on Google Cloud Platform the chance to do so in a secure and compliant environment without fear of compromising sensitive health data, ultimately increasing their opportunities to advance healthcare and improve patient outcomes,” said ClearDATA CEO Darin Brannan in a statement.


The threat of healthcare-sector disruption from tech – and financial – giants like Alphabet became clear when Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase announced in January that they were teaming up with the aim of “improving on ways to address health care for their U.S. employees, with the aim of improving employee satisfaction and reducing costs.”

“Our group does not come to this problem with answers. But we also do not accept it as inevitable. Rather, we share the belief that putting our collective resources behind the country’s best talent can, in time, check the rise in health costs while concurrently enhancing patient satisfaction and outcomes,” said Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO, Warren Buffett, at the time.

Then, in February, news in the Wall Street Journal suggested that Amazon was looking to expand into the healthcare supply chain. Potential competitors McKesson, Cardinal Health and Owens & Minors experienced drops in value of more than one percent as news spread of its intention to expand the role of its medical supply Amazon Business Marketplace to service U.S. hospitals and clinics, according to CNBC News. The competitors stocks did recover, underscoring the volatility such disruptive moves can create.

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