Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
IBM Trains Watson As A Cancer Specialist
The Washington Post: Watson’s Next Feat? Taking On Cancer
IBM is now training Watson to be a cancer specialist. The idea is to use Watson’s increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence to find personalized treatments for every cancer patient by comparing disease and treatment histories, genetic data, scans and symptoms against the vast universe of medical knowledge. Such precision targeting is possible to a limited extent, but it can take weeks of dedicated sleuthing by a team of researchers. Watson would be able to make this type of treatment recommendation in mere minutes. (Cha, 6/27)
The Wall Street Journal: How To Take Charge Of Your Medical Records
It’s your health. So it’s time you took control of all the information about it. That’s the message that a growing number of patient advocates are trying to spread to American health-care consumers. For most people, of course, it’s all too easy to simply leave their health records in the hands of doctors and hospitals. But that’s a big mistake, the advocates argue. First, it gives doctors too much power over information that is vital to patients, and it creates opportunities for errors. Perhaps more important, it keeps patients from using the information themselves for their own benefit. (Beck, 6/29)
Modern Healthcare: Health IT A Key Challenge For Provider-Owned Plans
There's a boomlet underway in health information technology buying, triggered by provider organizations considering or launching their own Medicare Advantage or commercial health plans. Provider-run plans without long experience in the insurance business face a challenge in shopping for and setting up an IT system that will meet their needs. Hospitals, health systems and medical groups already are in the market for data analytics and care-management software. Those tools augment their electronic health-record systems, aiding in population health risk assessments and managing high-cost patients with chronic conditions. But they need even more technology tools to operate as an insurer. (Conn, 6/27)
