Multinational technology company IBM recently announced its collaboration with healthcare software firm Epic Systems Corporation along with medical research group Mayo Clinic, to expand the use of IBM's Watson system into the healthcare industry.

IBM's move intends to incorporate the capabilities of Watson's cognitive computing technology with electronic patient records (EPRs). EPR, also called electronic health record (EHR), is an electronic collection of medical data about a patient.

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Founded in 1979 in Wisconsin, Epic Systems possesses about 54 per cent of patient medical records in the U.S., according to a report.

Mayo Clinic, on the other hand, was established in 1889 as a nonprofit medical research group that has campuses around the U.S.

Senior Vice President Mike Rhodin of IBM Watson said the new partnership is aimed at bringing more personalized care to patients by integrating traditional patient information with healthcare information.

IBM added that its system will provide its partners and healthcare providers with a complete analysis of the medical factors that could impact the patients' health.

President Carl Dvorak of Epic Systems said, "Accessing Watson's virtual brainpower from the Epic platform is energizing from a creative standpoint."

"We are bringing another level of cognitive computing and augmented intelligence to mainstream healthcare, to improve safety and outcomes for patients global," Dvorak continued.

Oncologist Dr. Steven Alberts of Mayo Clinic said, "Patients need answers and Watson helps provide them quickly and more thoroughly. We are excited by Watson's potential to efficiently provide clinical trials information at the point of care,"

IBM is also currently partnering with tech startup Talkspace to help patients search for the best therapists. Talkspace's app and web service enable users to communicate anonymously with therapists.

According to a report, this partnership may also allow IBM's Watson to improve its decision-making technology in the future.

TagsWatson, Epic Systems, Mayo Clinic, Healthcare Industry, Healthcare Information, Computer System, Patients, Electronic Patient Record, EPR, Electronic Health Record, EHR