A.I. or A.I.? An Acronym Worth Considering in Healthcare

In 1996, World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov challenged IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in a chess match and won. But in 1997, Deep Blue defeated Kasparov in a rematch, marking the first time a computer defeated a Champion. The popularity of Freestyle Chess accelerated thereafter whereby people and computers combine in “centaur play.” Through centaur play – the combination of artificial intelligence with the discretion of the chess player – even novice players achieved the same level of success as Champions.

While computer processing power is used for our entertainment, a computer server, perhaps a rack or two over, may be running algorithms that are helping save lives – artificial intelligence in healthcare and medicine.

Guy Rosen, Vice President of Product Management at Facebook, announced one such example in November 2017, when it was revealed that Artificial Intelligence and pattern recognition technologies were used to “detect posts or live videos where someone might be expressing thoughts of suicide.” But the recognition technology isn’t enough.

Facebook’s Community Operations team includes “a dedicated group of specialists who have specific training in suicide and self-harm.” The team works around the world to “more quickly access the appropriate first responders’ contact information.” A video demonstrating the power of this human and technology interface is available here.

Much like the approach of Facebook and its Operations team, Shearwater has also created a team of clinical professionals who enable positive outcomes for healthcare patients all over the world. Through its Clinical Process Outsourcing (CPO®) and client partnerships, Shearwater has deployed advanced algorithms to identify patterns and interventions. To name a few instances, Shearwater’s clinicians compare a patient’s trajectory to evidence-based guidelines for utilization management, risk adjustment coding, and coding for acute care discharges. These CPO® Augmented Intelligence functions support health care providers, payers, pharma & life sciences, and workers’ compensation & disability.

In the experience of Shearwater Health, the optimal outcome does not trace itself to A.I. defined as Artificial Intelligence, but rather A.I. as Augmented Intelligence. With Augmented Intelligence, success comes directly from the combination of  technology, machine-learning, critical thinking skills, and clinical decision-making. In such a merging of algorithm and human augmentation, Facebook is helping to prevent suicide and Shearwater is delivering skill, scale, and cost efficiency to the healthcare marketplace in a sort of “centaur play” for optimal health care delivery.

To learn more about Shearwater’s methods for Augmented Intelligence contact us here.

Ted Merhoff
Chief Strategy Officer