IBM's Watson supercomputer and WellPoint working towards computerized access to records and diagnoses

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDSep 13 2011

IBM's Watson supercomputer and a leading health insurer WellPoint Inc. are working towards diagnosis of medical ailments and authorize treatments for its 34.2 million members. Wellpoint operates Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in 14 states, including New York and California.

“It's really a game-changer in health care,” said Lori Beer, an executive vice president for WellPoint. Watson's creator agreed. “This very much fits into the sweet spot of what we envisioned for the applications of Watson,” said Manoj Saxena, general manager of an IBM division that's looking at marketing the supercomputer. “Physicians really need tools to get better quality answers,” said Beer. “We see this as a tool to help them be more successful in driving better outcomes for our members. We’re not trying to replace the physician.”

Watson plans to comb through data from patients' electronic records, the insurance company's history of medicines and treatments, and its built-in massive library of medical journals and textbooks, and then recommends a specific treatment. IBM says the computer processes all the data within seconds.

“Imagine having the ability within three seconds to look through all of that information, to have it be up to date, scientifically presented to you, and based on that patients' medical needs at the moment you're caring for that patient,” said WellPoint's chief medical officer, Dr. Sam Nussbaum. Wellpoint providers would be able to access it from a conventional personal computer or handheld device.

“Ultimately the goal here is not denying treatment but getting people to the right care,” Beer said. Beer said patients shouldn't worry that Watson will replace humans at the insurance giant. If a doctor veers from Watson's diagnosis or treatment recommendations, the insurer would have a doctor review the case, just as it currently does. Wellpoint says it won't base a claim decision solely on the supercomputer, but wants to offer providers a tool that helps lead to better treatment outcomes.

Watson's program won't be rolled out until early next year, when a pilot is set to begin at several cancer centers, academic medical centers and oncology practices. Watson's next steps will probably also be in the health care arena, but financial services and public safety applications are on the horizon, Saxena said.