Two years after it regularly beat human contestants on Jeopardy, IBM’s Watson supercomputer is coming up with ways to tackle much more onerous challenges. Software designed with its technology to filter electronic medical records and extract meaningful information is being mined for predictive analytics applications. Hospitals are adopting the software in several ways from generating personalized treatment options for cancer to patient engagement.
North Carolina Health System UNC Health Care is using it to reduce unnecessary readmissions for people with chronic conditions and two other areas, according to a company statement. It will identify patients who have had abnormal screenings such as for breast cancer and colonoscopies so hospitals can do follow ups. The risk is that these patients get lost in the sea of data and follow ups come too late.
It is also using IBM Content Analytics to improve patient engagement. It’s translating complex clinical information extracted from electronic medical records and putting it in a format that can be understood by patients in patient portals.
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Earlier this year, Maine Center for Cancer Medicine signed on Watson to identify the personalized treatment options for patients with lung cancer. The analytics software sifts through EMR data and spits out treatment options based on previous results and patient histories. Treatment options are ranked in order of confidence.
Austin-based Seton Healthcare Family, a health system that is part of Ascension Health, was the first hospital group to use IBM’s analytics software to reduce readmissions.
In addition to its predictive analytics software, IBM has worked with Boston Children’s Hospital to develop a training tool through a social network that combines IBM technology with medical experience from Boston Children’s. Medical professionals around the world can use OPEN Pediatrics access simulations, video seminars and illustrations in real-time to treat critically ill patients.
