4. He can streamline processes. In an environment where Watson is front and center, instead of a patient filling out a form at a doctor’s office, the physician would have access to a longitudinal patient record. “[That’s] one of the pieces we’re building with the surround system,” Lang said. “We would have that patient info pulled together from the many sources across the industry. The patient can see that information, make updates, and have a conversation with the clinician and make updates to things like blood pressure.” After the patient updates his/her history, Watson would start looking through it and make an analysis of the patient based on his/her information. The doctor can also consult with Watson and see what additional information he can offer. “They’ll look at different research articles and begin another dialogue,” said Lang. “We envision Watson, based on the information presented about the patient, suggesting and identifying areas where additional information would be helpful to make a better diagnosis.” This would also help the doctor make a more selective choice around the treatment options and spur additional conversations with Watson, he added. 

[See also: IBM announces financing partnerships with EMR vendors.]

5. He can help manage complex and chronic conditions. Complex conditions have a series of activities that happen afterward, said Lang, so he and his team are looking at surround systems working in tandem with Watson to help enable them. “If I’m having a knee replacement surgery, for example, and there’s 15 steps to the procedure as well as therapy and medication, then the follow-ups would be cycled back through Watson and the surround systems,” he said. Physicians could see how patients are progressing, said Lang, and when it comes to diseases such as diabetes and cancer, Watson can help with leveraging information and driving a continuity of care. “This would enable improved outcomes through evidence-based medicine,” he said. “It would dramatically improve the health of our patients and improve the quality of physician treatments and diagnoses. Ultimately, through Watson, we want to reduce costs and promote best practices around diagnoses. We want to get better results while spending less money.” 

 Follow Michelle McNickle on Twitter, @Michelle_writes