He didn’t go to medical school. He doesn’t have an office or a staff. He doesn’t even have a face. But he may be the biggest competitor and go-to expert to come along in the healthcare industry. His name is Watson, and he’s not even a person. He’s a supercomputer.
Watson is the supercomputer that did so well on Jeopardy two years ago, according to an article in Forbes, “IBM’s Watson Gets Its First Piece of Business in Healthcare,” by Bruce Upbin. Now, instead of beating out competitors with lightning-speed, question-phrased answers, he has settled down as a utilization manager and lung cancer specialist.
Watson didn’t have to start small. He is in partnership with IBM, Sloan-Kettering and WellPoint, who are using Watson’s brain to process data and help diagnose patients. No long waits for this digital physician assistant. Processing speed was improved by 240%. Hospitals and health care centers can rent Watson’s services from the cloud or on their own servers, thanks to a compact, pizza-box size server that can fit into any data center.
Watson is more than just a quick thinker that can take on Jeopardy and come up with the correct answer faster than a speeding bullet. What makes Watson so attractive is his ability to process and analyze the vast amounts of data provided by today’s healthcare technology, new procedures and testing. Wellpoint’s chief medical officer, Samuel Nussbaum, is reported to say that physicians who treat lung cancer patients make accurate decisions 50 percent of the time—a shocking statistic. Watson, on the other hand, when trained in lung cancer specialty, is able to make accurate decisions 90 percent of the time. Still off the mark of 100 percent, but a giant leap from the human counterpart. Which would you prefer?
What’s even more exciting, Watson’s expertise is available online through the “cloud,” so there is no need for giant rooms with computers clicking away or traveling to a central location to access its power. Even remote locations with Internet access and the proper hardware can utilize this service at the point of care.
In two short years, the article says, Watson has made tremendous progress. In May of 2011, IBM had schooled Watson to the level of a two-year medical student. The amount of data that it has analyzed is staggering—over 600,000 pieces of medical evidence, two million pages of training text and much more.
Watson doesn’t throw his weight around and assume the role of Chief of Staff. He doesn’t tell doctors what to do for a patient. Instead he presents options, each with a degree of accuracy. And the interaction isn’t static. Doctor’s with an iPad or computer can input real-time patient information and Watson will re-analyze and spit out new options and drug regimen within 30 seconds. What Watson delivers is accurate an accurate diagnosis in a very short time.
Healthcare utilization is another service that helps doctors review alternate courses of treatment to determine what is fair, accurate and cost effective. Holding the line on cost, keeping premiums affordable and providing required services are going to be more important as healthcare providers, insurance companies and employers come to grips with the changes mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Whether Watson will be as good a Financial Analyst as he is diagnostician is yet to be seen. IBM is targeting 1,600 providers by the end of 2013, just in time for major changes with the ACA. The question for the answer, “This IBM computer has done the most in the last two years to improve healthcare delivery,” may just be, “Who is Watson?”
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