Flexbone picked for Google.org challenge to build AI healthcare directory

Flexbone was selected as one of 15 recipients of Google.org’s AI for Government Innovation challenge to help build FindCare, an AI-powered healthcare directory that aims to show insurance, cost, scheduling, and availability details. The private beta tool is designed to reduce gaps in directory data that can delay care and confuse patients.

Why it matters: - FindCare is aimed at a basic problem in healthcare access: many directories list a location, but not whether a facility takes a patient’s insurance, is accepting new patients, or what care may cost out of pocket. - The project could make it easier for people to find affordable care with or without insurance. - Better directory data matters for patients, families, and caregivers trying to make care decisions quickly.

What happened: - Flexbone, an Atlanta-based healthcare AI company, was selected as one of 15 recipients of the Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation. - Flexbone is building FindCare, an AI-powered directory that is currently in private beta. - The challenge supports nonprofits, social enterprises, and academic institutions working with governments to use generative and agentic AI in public services.

The details: - FindCare is being built to cover more than 65,000 ambulatory surgery centers, nursing homes, assisted living communities, and health center sites. - The directory is designed to answer questions about accepted insurance plans, new-patient availability, out-of-pocket cost, and appointment booking. - FindCare builds on public data from CMS, HRSA, and state licensing agencies. - The system uses Google’s Gemini models to extract hours, phone numbers, and services from facility websites. - Flexbone is developing AI agents to verify details directly with facilities and keep the information current. - Public directories such as Care Compare from CMS and Find a Health Center from HRSA help people locate facilities, but they were not built to provide the same level of detail. - Insurer and company provider directories often contain wrong locations, outdated phone numbers, or listings for providers who are no longer accepting new patients. - Through the three-month Google.org Accelerator, the FindCare team will receive technical training, one-on-one mentoring from Google AI experts, Google Cloud credits, and support from an AI coach and project success manager. - During the program, the team will build agents to collect and update insurance, cost, and scheduling details. - The cohort recently launched in Washington, D.C. - The cohort will present at a Demo Day in London during the week of Dec. 7, 2026. - More information is available at findcare.care and flexbone.ai. - Flexbone has more than 25 healthcare organizations active on its platform. - Flexbone is backed by Drive Capital, Palantir Alumni VC, Plug and Play, and Flybridge Capital.

Between the lines: - Directory accuracy has long been a labor-intensive problem, and Flexbone is pitching AI agents as a way to update data continuously instead of relying on periodic manual cleanup. - The Google.org selection also signals interest in using AI for public-facing services, not just internal enterprise tools. - The focus on insurance, cost, and scheduling reflects where patients feel the most friction in accessing care. - More than 27 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2024, and HRSA-funded health centers served more than 32.7 million patients in 2025. - About 2.3 million people live in nursing homes and assisted living communities, where families often help make care decisions. - Ross Hoffman, MD, senior advisor to Flexbone, said people need to know more than a facility’s location and that a 2026 KFF updated poll found nearly three in ten adults skipped or delayed needed care because of cost concerns.

What's next: - Flexbone will use the accelerator period to expand and refine the AI agents that collect and verify directory data. - The company is scaling FindCare across tens of thousands of facilities. - Demo Day in London should provide a public update on progress and product direction in December 2026. - If the system works as intended, FindCare could become a more complete alternative to fragmented public and private provider directories.

The bottom line: - Flexbone is betting that AI can solve one of healthcare’s most persistent data problems: turning scattered, outdated directory listings into a reliable tool patients can actually use.