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Biowatch

02/17/11 10:16 PM

#115066 RE: DewDiligence #115020

IBM Watson, Nuance, & medical sector makes sense but, although it did well on Jeopardy, my impression is that it's tuned strictly for the American mainstream.

You'd probably do badly on Jeopardy if you didn't watch a lot of American TV as a child, don't pay attention to pop culture, and fell asleep in history class.

If English isn't your or your doctor's original language, you could have problems communicating. You may not understand their jargon, and they may not understand your problems. A six minute doctor's visit is like speed dating: you have little time to give your medical history, let alone discuss current problems.

A concussed or unconscious patient in the ER wouldn't communicate well either.

Tweaking the computer will help, but doctors shouldn't use it as crutch, as their skills will get rusty.

Doctors these days get far less training in using a stethoscope, so miss warning signs in a heartbeat and order an MRI instead.

The Watson program could excel in medical billing and coding. It's a growth industry, although it may be dull, tedious, and frustrating, requiring great organizational skills and patience as the go-between amongst the patient, doctor, and insurance companies.

Good job for a computer. Yet, who programs it and decides what slant it takes? A slight change in the diagnosis may determine if insurance covers it or the patient walks away wondering if they can afford the healthcare they thought was covered by health insurance they paid for.

Insurance companies need to look out for fraud and abuse, yet denying payment for legitimate claims helps the bottom line and their ability to help others who paid for their services.

They might slant the medical coding for their benefit.

A quote I heard about Watson on Jeopardy was that, "Although you are only 32% confident, you are correct!" That leaves a lot of slop in the system.