Agentic AI moves to the front line: CVS Health, Highmark, Waystar, Quest, and Humana partner with Google Cloud
Healthcare's AI shift is getting very real. At HIMSS 26 in Las Vegas, Google Cloud is showcasing Gemini-powered agents that push work forward across patient engagement, lab result explanations, care operations, and revenue cycle.
New partnerships include CVS Health, Highmark Health, Waystar, Quest Diagnostics, and Humana. The throughline: practical deployment, measurable outcomes, and security controls that support HIPAA compliance.
What Google Cloud is putting on the table
Google Cloud is packaging agentic AI around three components: Vertex AI's command center, Gemini Enterprise for knowledge work, and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (CX). The goal is to move from siloed data entry to anticipatory, multi-step assistance that completes tasks across systems.
As Google Cloud put it, the industry is moving "beyond static digital records" into an agentic healthcare era-less point-and-click, more proactive support.
CVS Health: Health100 and pharmacist-led engagement
CVS Health launched Health100, a health tech services subsidiary built with agentic AI on Google Cloud. The platform aims to tie together consumer touchpoints regardless of pharmacy, provider, insurer, PBM, or digital health vendor.
Health100 will also route patients to pharmacist-led care management when appropriate. The agent surfaces the most relevant information for the individual in the moment of need.
Highmark Health: From pilots to enterprise-scale with Sidekick
Highmark Health's generative AI assistant, Sidekick, has grown from 1 million to over 6 million prompts in just over a year. The organization reports an estimated $27.9 million in AI-enabled value for 2025.
At Allegheny Health Network (AHN), a Sidekick-based IRB protocol and consent builder automates first drafts of complex research protocols. Leadership says the next chapter is multi-agent support that helps employees complete multi-step tasks faster and with fewer handoffs.
Waystar: Accelerating autonomous revenue cycle
Waystar expanded its collaboration with Google Cloud to scale agentic AI across complex RCM workflows. Since launching AltitudeAI, Waystar reports helping providers prevent more than $15 billion in denied claims and reducing time spent on appeals and documentation by 90%.
With administrative waste estimated at $440 billion nationwide, the upside is clear for CFOs and RCM leaders. For teams building skills around this shift, see the AI Learning Path for Medical Billers.
Quest Diagnostics: Explaining lab results with Quest AI Companion
Quest introduced Quest AI Companion, a chat feature in MyQuest that helps people make sense of their lab results. The experience is delivered in a HIPAA-compliant environment and focuses on clear, actionable explanations.
Humana: Agent Assist in the contact center
Humana's Agent Assist, built on Gemini Enterprise for CX, runs in the background to support call center agents. The intent is to improve service quality with guidance, summarization, and faster resolution.
Why this matters for healthcare leaders
- Patient experience: Clear lab-result explanations and guided next steps reduce confusion and callbacks.
- Clinician and staff time: Drafting IRB protocols, summarizing calls, and surfacing context trims low-value work.
- Revenue integrity: Autonomous workflows reduce denials, speed appeals, and tighten documentation.
- Safety and governance: Verify HIPAA alignment, PHI handling, audit trails, bias testing, and model drift monitoring.
- Proven ROI: Reported outcomes from Highmark and Waystar show a path from pilots to value at scale.
What to watch at HIMSS 26
Google Cloud will share more at booth #3507 and via its press updates during the conference. HIMSS 26 runs March 9-12 in Las Vegas. Event details: HIMSS Global Conference & Exhibition.
Practical next steps
- Pick 2-3 high-friction workflows (RCM, contact center, research ops, patient communications) and define a single success metric for each.
- Decide where to build vs. buy: out-of-the-box agents for speed, custom agents for differentiation.
- Stand up guardrails: PHI controls, human-in-the-loop review, clear escalation paths, and audit logging.
- Integrate early with core systems (EHR, CRM, payer portals, document repos) so agents can act, not just summarize.
- Upskill teams on prompt patterns, oversight, and exception handling. For broader context, explore AI for Healthcare.
Agentic AI is no longer theory. These deployments show where it's already working-and where you can capture value next.
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