IBM and @ Point of Care help the MSAA

IBM and @Point of Care Tap the Power of Watson to Help the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Transform the Quality of Care

Livingston, NJ and Armonk, NY – 08 Oct 2014 – @Point of Care, a mobile platform that aids decision-making at the point of care, and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that partners, including Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, are tapping the power of Watson to transform how patients and their clinicians obtain information to make informed decisions that could improve the quality of care.“Today, there is an inordinate amount of information being produced and distributed that clinicians, as well as patients, can use when assessing different medical conditions and making treatment decisions,” said Robert Stern, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of @Point of Care. “For this information to be useful, however, clinicians and patients must be able to access this information where and when it is needed and have it displayed in a useful format.”@Point of Care and IBM Watson have successfully used the power of Watson’s cognitive computing capabilities to understand questions posed in natural language to find relevant information with @Point of Care’s resource library quickly and with a high degree of accuracy. This capability is available to health care professionals using @Point of Care’s multiple sclerosis app, and will be rolled out across @Point of Care’s 15 other therapeutic areas.

“A wealth of medical information is available today for both clinicians and patients. However, medical professionals are constantly challenged by the demand to quickly provide a significant amount of information to a large number of patients,” said Doug Franklin, President and CEO of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, which is partnering with @Point of Care on their My MS Manager™ app for people with multiple sclerosis. “Thanks to the partnership between @Point of Care and IBM Watson, clinicians serving our members will hopefully be able to obtain insightful data and information precisely when they need it most –ultimately improve the quality of care they receive.”

IBM also announced today accelerated adoption of Watson’s cognitive capabilities globally. Today’s news reinforces IBM’s strategy to fuel an ecosystem of innovators who will help make cognitive the new standard of computing.

“IBM is receiving an outpouring of interest from partners in Watson’s cognitive capabilities and supporting industry-changing use cases around the globe,” said Stephen Gold, Vice President, IBM Watson Group. “We are thrilled to be working with some of the industries best and brightest entrepreneurs and established organizations.”

Organizations that are interested in collaborating with IBM to develop Watson-powered applications can visit www.ibm.com/watsonecosystem to learn more.

IBM Watson: Pioneering a New Era of Computing

IBM Watson represents a new era of computing, in which apps and systems interact with human users more naturally, augment our knowledge with Big Data insights, and learn to improve how they assist us.

Fueled by innovation from a mission to transform industries and professions, Watson is uniquely positioned at the forefront of the new era of computing, evidenced by an unmatched demonstration of what cognitive systems can bring to transform decision-making. IBM is delivering a range of cloud-based products and services to clients in industries such as banking, healthcare, insurance, retail and education.

In January, 2014, IBM launched the IBM Watson Group, a new business unit dedicated to the development and commercialization of cloud-delivered cognitive advisors. The move signifies a strategic shift by IBM to accelerate into the marketplace a new class of software, services and apps that think, improve by learning, and discover insights from massive amounts of Big Data.

IBM is investing more than $1 billion into the Watson Group, focusing on research, development and bringing cloud-delivered cognitive applications and services to market. This includes $100 million earmarked for direct investment to support IBM’s ecosystem of start-ups and businesses building cognitive apps made with Watson. Currently more than 3,300 organizations and entrepreneurial individuals have shared their ideas for creating cognitive apps that redefine how businesses and consumers make decisions.

For more information on IBM Watson, please visit: www.ibmwatson.com.

For more insights on this story and more, visit the IBM Watson press kit.

To join the social discussion about Watson, include the hashtag #ibmwatson. Follow Watson on Facebook and see Watson on YouTube and Flickr.

ABOUT @Point of Care

Founded in 2012 @Point of Care is dedicated to creating innovative digital tools that not only better connect patients, caregivers and clinicians, but provide a means to analyze and share data to encourage shared decision-making that can improve health outcomes.

Currently used by more than 200,000 clinicians, the @Point of Care platform provides a streamlined, mobile tool for clinicians to obtain content when it is needed, enabling better decisions, better outcomes and potentially better care. With the addition of consumer-facing apps focused on different medical conditions, clinicians can now assess patient-reported symptom data when determining treatment options for their patients.

For more information on @Point of Care, please visit https://atpointofcare.com

To join the conversation on @Point of Care on Twitter, follow @atpointofcare.

About MSAA

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is a national nonprofit organization and leading resource for the entire MS community, improving lives today through vital services and support. MSAA provides free programs and services, such as: a Helpline with professional consultants; award-winning publications, including MSAA’s magazine, The Motivator; MSAA’s nationally recognized website (at www.mymsaa.org), featuring award-winning educational videos and research updates; S.E.A.R.C.H.™ program to assist the MS community with learning about different treatment choices; a mobile phone app, My MS Manager™ (named one of the best multiple sclerosis iPhone & Android apps by Healthline.com); a resource database, My MS Resource Locator; safety and mobility equipment distribution; cooling accessories for heat-sensitive individuals; educational events held across the country; MRI funding; and more. For additional information, please visit www.mymsaa.org.