Metropolitan Health, a medical schemes administrator in South Africa, has implemented the first commercial application of the IBM Watson cognitive computing platform.
IBM Watson Engagement Advisor will work as a “virtual coach” assisting Customer Service Agents with inquiries. Metropolitan Health customer services environment handles more than 12 million client interactions each year.
The companies believe the move has the potential enhance and personalize health services in South Africa and the African continent.
"IBM Watson and cognitive computing are helping us do more than simply fix basic breakdowns in treatment paths; we're "leapfrogging" to deliver a market leading health outcome to the public. We intend to transform every customer interaction with insightful data and deliver the best personalized services and care available," said Dylan Garnett, CEO of Metropolitan Health.
Metropolitan Health provides administration, managed care and wellness services to more than 20 medical schemes or funds, comprising various blue-chip organizations and government departments.
IBM said Watson can sift through the equivalent of about one million books - or roughly 200 million pages of data - and analyze this information to provide precise responses in less than three seconds. Customer Services Agents will be able to use Watson’s ability to rapidly sift through enormous amounts of information, analyze it, and supply evidence-based responses to questions, providing more precise and comprehensive information to customers.
“We believe Watson will enable our Customer Service Agents to make better decisions, ultimately driving better health outcomes for the public," Garnett said.
IBM said Metropolitan Health will augment the power of Watson with an extensive portfolio of IBM capabilities, including business consulting, advanced analytics, healthcare informatics, and IBM Research assets