One of the few silver linings to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is healthcare’s digital transformation. The past year and a half saw increased rates of telehealth usage, record-breaking investments in digital health companies and more organizations adopting artificial intelligence in innovative ways.

In a HIMSS21 Global Conference Digital Session set to air on Monday, August 9, Hal Wolf, the president and CEO of HIMSS will be joined by Thomas Kurian, the CEO of Google Cloud, to go over how the pandemic accelerated digital transformation in healthcare.

Kurian says the pandemic led to a complete transformation in the way healthcare organizations collaborate and share information, thanks to their rapid adoption of technology.

He doesn’t expect the digital transformation to slow down anytime soon. In fact, Kurian believes three of the biggest opportunities for technology in healthcare will be making care continuous, implementing real-world data into care delivery and creating a more efficient system.

Another benefit Kurian sees from this transformation is the potential to use data to improve the U.S. public health infrastructure and make it more equitable. He says unlocking the power of longitudinal data will allow people to create new and more accessible pathways to care.

The session also covers some of the ways Google Cloud is working to be at the forefront of digital transformation in healthcare, including its work on the Anthos project.

This discussion will be part of the HIMSS21 Digital session, “Spotlight Keynote: The Pandemic Accelerated Digital Transformation Across the Healthcare Ecosystem.” It’s scheduled to air on Monday, August 9, from 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. PST. Read more about the HIMSS21 Digital program here.