WellPoint Using IBM's Watson to Support Clinical Decision-Making
IBM's Supercomputer, Watson-best known for its appearance on Jeopardy!-will be put to work for insurer WellPoint with the help of the Ceders-Sinai Samuel L. Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute.
The project is the first step in a partnership between WellPoint and IBM that was announced in September, 2011.
The goal of the project is to develop tools that will enhance the decision-making ability of clinicians involved in the field of oncology. It is envisioned that Watson will sort through enormous volumes of information to determine the best courses of clinical action.
"Watson could help physicians keep up with the latest evidence and select the best solutions for individual patients," writes Information Week journalist Ken Terry.
The tool, which remains under development, should be available on a limited basis within the next year. WellPoint says that it hopes to utilize IBM's technology to develop decision-making assistance tools "across the continuum of care".
The technology could have a dramatic effect on how products are prescribed and administered by professionals over the long term, and has raised some questions if the technology should be subject to FDA approval.
- (Information Week - WellPoint Taps IBM Watson For Cancer Decision Support)
- (WellPoint - WellPoint and IBM Announce Agreement to Put Watson to Work in Health Care)
- (Information Week - Should Mobile Medical Apps Require FDA Approval?)