IBM's Watson lands WellPoint gig for 2012
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IBM took a big step toward commercializing its Watson technology as it announced a partnership with health care provider WellPoint.
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Under the WellPoint partnership, Watson will be used to deliver timely evidence-based health care information. WellPoint will launch Watson-based tools and IBM will build the systems.
If all goes well, Watson will process a patient's various data points and then identify possible diagnosis and treatment options for physicians and nurses.
WellPoint plans to load Watson with medical data so it can analyze and identify conditions ranging from heart disease to cancer to diabetes. Medical histories, test results, possible drug interactions and treatment options will be evaluated too.
IBM and WellPoint plan to launch the Watson-based health care technology in early 2012 via pilots.
The partnership between the two companies highlights Big Blue's typical modus operandi. It works with a key player in an industry vertical to develop expertise, launches pilots to demonstrate technology and then rolls it out to others.
In a March interview, IBM's Steve Mills, head of the company's software and systems unit, said health care is “the perfect example” for Watson, which can scour data to assist doctors.
Related:
- IBM's Steven Mills on trophy acquisitions, Watson's future, analytics
- IBM Watson's next adventure: Healthcare with Nuance
- IBM's Watson victorious in Jeopardy; Our new computer overlord?
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