Watson making an entry into health insurance
The Watson supercomputer, one of the most advanced computers on the planet, has made an entry into the insurance industry. Since 2011, IBM, makers of the advanced artificial intelligence computer, has been using Watson to improve the health care industry. The supercomputers capabilities have drawn a great deal of acclaim in this field and has helped modernize many of the computer systems that govern health care. Now, Watson is graduating from the medical world to take on health insurance.
Supercomputer will help assess lung cancer treatments and manage claims
IBM has teamed with WellPoint and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in order to put Watson to the test in the health insurance sector. The supercomputer will have two applications. The first will be to help assess lung cancer treatments, while the other will be to help manage health insurance decisions and claims. IBM expects that both applications will benefit from the speed an ingenuity of the supercomputer.
Benefits may be had through Watson’s speed and computing power
Doctors and health insurance companies will be able to access Watson using a computer or tablet device. Once initiated, Watson will quickly run through a person’s medical records and compare these records to the information that the supercomputer has learned and provide health care professionals with recommendations on how to care for a particular patient. Insurers will be able to use the supercomputer to examine claims information and make adjustments to the health insurance policies they provide.
WellPoint already making use of Watson
WellPoint has already begun using Watson for its health insurance businesses in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Wisconsin. IBM notes that Watson will not be making any decisions for a medical professional or for a consumer. Instead, it will only provide information and a variety of recommendations concerning medical care and how to manage certain ailments. Watson will be primarily focused on lung cancer and providing recommendations concerning the treatment of the disease.
