Transforming healthcare with cognitive computing
As I’ve written before, health leaders are realizing that to tackle today’s healthcare challenges and empower a healthier future for all, they need to think beyond their EMRs.
EMRs have been an important step in digitizing medical data. But now that this foundational step is complete for many health organizations, they’re ready for the next step—taking advantage of transformational technologies that don’t just replicate existing processes, but enable entirely new ways of doing things for more proactive and predictive approaches to health.
The transformational technology of cognitive computing
One such transformational technology is cognitive computing, which is going to have an incredible impact on the health industry—particularly as data becomes more complex and multifarious. As health organizations seek to interpret ever-expanding amounts of information—from EMRs as well as genomic biobanks, wearables, social media, and population health, weather, and socioeconomic big data trends—they need solutions that go beyond analytics to include built-in intelligence.
Toward that end, Microsoft recently announced that Cognitive Services are now part of the Cortana Intelligence suite. The limitless computing power of the cloud and availability of data means that health organizations can take advantage of both predictive, prescriptive analytics and machine learning. Not only that, today’s technologies enable solutions that are intelligent through their ability to see, hear, recognize faces, detect emotions, interpret language, infer intent, and prescribe and automate outcomes. You can learn more about Cognitive Services and Cortana Intelligence in this recent blog by Joseph Sirosh, our corporate vice president of the data group.
Modern intelligence and machine learn with InnerEye
A great example of modern intelligence capabilities in healthcare is the InnerEye project, led by Antonio Criminisi of the Microsoft Research group. InnerEye uses machine learning for medical imaging analysis to do things like quantify the size of tumors and identify which areas are most aggressive—which are time-consuming and difficult for health professionals to do. According to a recent BBC story, the Inner Eye project could make the process of ascertaining the extent of tumors 40 times quicker than doing so by hand. What’s more, the detailed imaging analysis could help health professionals determine the most effective treatments. See InnerEye in action in the BBC story video.
The InnerEye project shows how today’s technologies can empower health professionals with better, faster intelligence to help them provide more targeted, personalized care.
Imagine how your health organization could transform healthcare with cognitive computing. We welcome you to share your imaginings with us via email, Facebook, or Twitter. Please also reach out with any questions or comments.
And read more on this topic in the blog post “Advanced analytics success starts with changing your mind” by Tom Lawry, Director of Worldwide Health.
