Geisinger and its Steele Institute for Health Innovation are collaborating with Medial EarlySign to implement machine learning technology for detection and prevention of chronic and high-cost diseases.

WHY IT MATTERS
Together, the vendor and the pioneering health system will develop and deploy several AI tools to better identify patients who might be at risk of a range of chronic conditions.

To start, EarlySign's LGI-Flag technology, which analyzes data such as variations in routine blood tests, will be deployed to help Geisinger clinicians spot people at higher risk for significant lower gastrointestinal disorders. 

That software will form the basis for the two to explore other opportunities to tackle other acute and chronic diseases, officials said, with EarlySign able to avail itself of Geisinger's advanced IT infrastructure, unique datasets and top care teams.

"EarlySign's technology and the LGI-Flag solution will potentially assist our teams to more quickly identify significant lower GI disorders and intervene earlier than we historically have been able to," Dr. Keith A. Boell, associate chief quality officer at Geisinger, said in a statement. "We look forward to advancing our use of this technology while leveraging our experience to help more patients benefit from these life-changing medical advances."

From there, they'll pursue new innovations of machine learning technology, seeking new applications to advance Geisinger's population health and precision medicine goals, lower costs, and improve the patient and provider experience.

THE LARGER TREND
Geisinger is entering a new era under its new president and CEO, Dr. Jaewon Ryu, whose appointment was announced just this past month.

But its innovative track record on artificial intelligence, precision medicine and population health is long and leading-edge – whether it's using cognitive computing to tackle COPD, using machine learning to better diagnose intracranial hemorrhages, or any number of other clinical initiatives.

ON THE RECORD
"Leveraging Geisinger's performance as a national leader in healthcare and its culture of innovation with EarlySign's expertise in machine learning and data analytics will enable us to identify, evaluate and intervene with high-risk patients earlier," said Karen Murphy, Geisinger's chief innovation officer. "This collaboration will help us potentially save lives and improve the care we provide patients by deepening our experience with AI and identifying new ways to integrate it into daily clinical care."

"We are delighted to be partnering with Geisinger, which shares our commitment to innovation and to offering the most effective care for challenging health issues," added Ori Geva, co-founder and CEO of Medial EarlySign. "This is the first step of our ultimate goal: enabling healthcare systems to identify and connect with those high-risk patients and engage with them early enough via interventions that may prevent or delay disease progression."

Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com

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