Yesterday IBM announced that it was making new investments in its US Federal Healthcare Practice to provide for the ever increasing tech needs of the health institutions.  Big data solutions will be used, among others, to improve the level of care, lower costs, as well as combine and then analyse information.  The data being looked at will for the first time include previously ignored unstructured data, such as physician’s notes.

According to a statement by Anne Altman, General Manager, IMB US Federal:  “IBM has a proven track record in delivering transformational, value-based healthcare solutions that can increase the quality of care and lower costs in both the public and private sector. … Government leaders recognise that there is a tremendous opportunity to combine new and existing data sources with advancements in technology to find innovative ways to build a sustainable and affordable healthcare system.”

One pilot project taking place at Carilion Clinic involved IBM trawling through more than 2 million patients’ records with their Advanced Care Insights solution to identify those at risk for congestive heart failure.  This work with hospitals and health care providers can contribute to identifying and intervening earlier to help patients receive the most beneficial preemptive care.  In the pilot project, at-risk patients were identified correctly by the predictive models 85% of the time.

Big data innovations from IBM in conjunction with various other players in the health care industry have lead to more inter-connected systems, enabling improved care with fewer avoidable errors.  Disease prediction as well as medical innovation are among the other transformations in the face of medicine that IBM and big data are helping to facilitate.

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(Image Credit:  Life Mental Health)