OpenAI has signed a strategic partnership with Israel's Sheba Medical Center, making it the first hospital outside the United States to join the company's healthcare AI program. The deal gives Sheba physicians early access to OpenAI's dedicated medical models, including ChatGPT Health, before a wider rollout.
The partnership covers OpenAI's healthcare models, introduced in January and currently available only at a limited number of U.S. hospitals. These models are designed to help clinicians make medical decisions and develop treatment plans based on the latest clinical research. The system is encrypted and built to meet the security requirements of healthcare organizations.
Early access and clinical integration
Under the agreement, Sheba physicians will receive early access to OpenAI's latest healthcare models before they become broadly available. The hospital will also integrate its own clinical protocols, treatment pathways, and institutional guidelines into the models. This allows responses to reflect Sheba's approved standards and, in the future, could support recommendations tailored to Israeli clinical practice.
Dedicated teams at Sheba will participate in product development, gain insight into new models during development, attend OpenAI healthcare events, and build internal applications optimized for the platform.
Clinicians and researchers will be able to submit patient case descriptions and receive responses that include relevant medical literature, supporting studies, journal references, publication dates, and other information to assist clinical decision-making. The citations allow physicians to independently verify the evidence underlying each recommendation.
Beyond clinical decision support, the platform is expected to assist with administrative and operational workflows, helping reduce documentation burdens and improve efficiency across the hospital.
Sheba's history of healthcare AI innovation
The initiative builds on Sheba's growing portfolio of AI-based healthcare technologies developed through its ARC innovation center. ARC was established in 2019 by Sheba Director General Prof. Yitshak Kreiss and Chief Transformation and Innovation Officer Dr. Eyal Zimlichman to accelerate digital healthcare innovation. The center enables startups to test new technologies, develops strategic partnerships, and operates an investment platform with TriVentures. Notable solutions include Aidoc, which uses AI to analyze medical imaging, and SmartER, an emergency department platform that documents patient encounters.
"The healthcare system is one of the fields where artificial intelligence can have the greatest impact," OpenAI said in a statement. "We are excited to collaborate with Sheba to make advanced AI capabilities available to doctors, researchers, and healthcare professionals."
The agreement was signed with Nate Gross, OpenAI's Head of Health, Calcalist has learned. A delegation from Sheba is scheduled to visit OpenAI's headquarters in August for a series of meetings with senior executives.
Why this matters for healthcare professionals
For clinicians and hospital administrators, the Sheba-OpenAI partnership signals that AI models designed for clinical decision support are moving beyond U.S. borders. The ability to test these tools early and influence their development gives healthcare organizations outside the United States a chance to shape how the technology adapts to local medical practices. With features like direct citations to published research, the models aim to augment rather than replace physician judgment-a critical factor as more institutions evaluate AI for Healthcare tools. Professionals looking to stay current can also explore OpenAI Courses to better understand the capabilities and limitations of these systems.
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