IBM Watson’s open for healthcare business, claiming 90% accuracy

IBM Watson, which has been digesting the big data of healthcare for the past two years, is finally going to market with its oncology decision-making tool developed in conjunction with New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering and insurer WellPoint. According to Forbes, WellPoint’s chief medical officer Samuel Nussbaum claims that providers make accurate treatment decisions in lung cancer cases only 50% of the time, but Watson can make accurate decisions 90% of the time. WellPoint for now is the sole reseller of Interactive Care Insights for Oncology. Initial customers for the lung cancer application include WestMed Practice Partners and the Maine Center for Cancer Medicine & Blood Disorders. The other tools, the WellPoint Interactive Care Guide and Interactive Care Reviewer, is for WellPoint’s pre-authorization and utilization management, the arcane business of determining fair and appropriate treatment that they will pay (less) for. Watson has also been on a diet; it runs 240% faster on the cloud or a server about the size of a pizza box. IBM’s Watson Gets Its First Piece Of Business In Healthcare (Forbes) After a year of medical school, IBM’s Watson passes first milestone (ZDNet)