Healthcare around the world is currently experiencing two major challenges. Both challenges are centered on data, as most other industries. Central to healthcare are the issues of interoperability and fact-based advice. IBM and Microsoft have identified these barriers and have set out to meet the need. IBM specifically has zeroed in on using Watson AI to provide healthcare professionals with diagnostic tools that allow for the diagnosis of rare illnesses more accurately and much faster.
Microsoft’s solution to these challenges has been the introduction of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare. This is a service that provides never-before-seen data access for healthcare professionals from doctors to patients. Both companies have found ways to improve the healthcare experience while lowering operational costs.
IBM’s Watson product was engineered specifically to speak to healthcare operational concerns. The specific specialty of this platform is to diagnose and treat little-known and difficult to diagnosis diseases. When a patient exhibits symptoms that are difficult to diagnosis, when they’ve seen several doctors who can’t pinpoint the root cause, doctors can input the description of the patient’s symptom’s and it is compared with medical notes world-wide. Within minutes, Watson can offer several diagnoses to the mysterious symptoms for doctors to follow-up on. This type of data-driven decision making can reduce the patient’s pain from years of awaiting treatment to several days. The framework behind an AI platform is that artificial intelligence won’t replace doctors, but can become valuable information hubs. IBM totes a high commitment to patient advocacy and dedication to better healthcare for all people.
Microsoft has also pinpointed the lack of interconnectivity in the healthcare sector for repositories of information. The lack of interoperability between healthcare information systems had increased the likelihood of medical information security breaches. Microsoft’s platform seeks to end the lack of interoperability so that systems can easily identify the source attempting to access the data. Microsoft’s top leaders argue that their own internal efforts to increase operability has led to the company becoming a leading expert on the topic. At one time, the European Commission told the company that their interoperability had to be corrected or they would face a huge fine. The company took the challenge and turned it into a competitive advantage.
Microsoft’s Cloud tool has been reported as the most user-friendly tool by the patients who have used it, as well as doctors. The accolades for the product is rooted mostly in the ease of setup by administrators. This is a result of the effort made by the company to increase the movement of information between data and repositories. The focus of the program is the interlock patient, doctor, and AI as seamlessly as possible to ensure the accuracy and speed of diagnoses and treatment.
Microsoft also recently announced their partnership with 55 other companies to sync efforts with a vision of racially improving the healthcare system.
It may be interesting to note that the last time IBM and Microsoft banded together to form a solution they invented the personal computer. Obviously, when these companies collaborate, great innovation results. The companies diverged soon after the PC hit the market because at the time cultures collided and neither company saw the importance of sharing information. Today, the global market has developed and the two companies support information sharing in the name of shared mission and vision.
Both companies have come out to support the other’s solution to healthcare and are searching for ways in which they can support one another. This connection between rivals is setting the stage for a new way to do business; collaboration to produce more enhanced products than either company could produce alone.