5 Ways AI is Changing Healthcare
Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly and is in the process of transforming the face of healthcare.
Artificial intelligence is a rapidly evolving process on the verge of revising many industries, including healthcare. According to a report by Frost & Sullivan the AI market in healthcare will hit $6 billion by 2021, having been at $600 million, just two years ago. Cognitive solutions such as IBM’s Watson system can assess enormous amounts of patient data, provide guidance and decision support, and improve clinical workflow. “The goal is to support the physician, not replace him or her” said Anil Jain, vice president of IBM’s Watson Health and an internist and medical informatics specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. The IBM “Redefining Boundaries”study divulges that healthcare executives believe that this technology will require them to reassess most aspects of the business in the next few years. Here are some of the ways that AI is being used to affect practice management and care services:
Diagnosis and Treatment- Watson’s AI employs cognitive computing to sort through all the latest medical information and find patterns that are relevant for individual patients. This enables stronger diagnoses and more effective treatment plans. An example of this is Watson Oncology, which sorts through thousands of cases and articles, helping the physician to decide the most effective treatment for a specific type of tumor. AkēLex has created an adaptive learning tool that provides guidance based on a patient’s individual profile. “It’s almost like having a specialist watching over a frontline nurse who is treating a patient,” said Venkat Rajan, global director of the Visionary Health Program at Frost & Sullivan.
Disease Management – A tool called Cognitive Cloud has been developed to provide actionable insights for those suffering from chronic conditions. These insights are used by physicians to more accurately understand their patients’ needs. This system is being utilized by Intermountain Healthcare, in a pilot program aimed at helping teenagers with Type 1 diabetes transition to self-care as they grow into adulthood.
