UPDATE 1-Regulators begin probe into Google-Ascension cloud computing deal -WSJ
(Adds Google's response)
Nov 12 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal regulator has initiated an investigation into a cloud computing deal between Alphabet Inc's Google and Ascension Health which would give Google access to detailed health information of millions of patients, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
"We are happy to cooperate with any questions about the project," Google said https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/inside-google-cloud/our-partnership-with-ascension in a blog post later on Tuesday, regarding the federal inquiry.
The Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services will look into the data collection to ensure the partnership is in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which safeguards medical information, the Journal said https://on.wsj.com/2NGPPQX.
On Monday, Google said patient data "cannot and will not be combined with any Google consumer data."
(Reporting by Abhishek Manikandan in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Maria Ponnezhath; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Uttaresh.V)
