New York (CNN Business) Google has confirmed it's collecting health data on millions of Americans through a new partnership with Ascension, one of the country's largest nonprofit health systems.

The tech company and Ascension confirmed they were working together to analyze patient data to give health care providers new insights and care suggestions for patients. The project, codenamed "Project Nightingale," was first reported by the Wall Street Journal Monday.

Google GOOGL Although light on specifics, Google and Ascension said the partnership would integrate Ascension's various silos of health data in the cloud. In a blog post,said the project was a "business arrangement to help a provider with the latest technology, similar to the work we do with dozens of other healthcare providers."

At least 150 Google employees had access to patient data, the Journal reported. But Google said it is adhering to regulatory privacy standards, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Google said the partnership's rules were "standard practice" and that Ascension's data "cannot be used for any other purpose than for providing these services we're offering under the agreement, and patient data cannot and will not be combined with any Google consumer data."

Google acknowledged the sensitivity of patient health data, adding that it's "understandable" people wanted to ask questions about Project Nightingale. That's why both companies issued public statements about the project hours after the Journal report.