AI figures big as CVS plans consumer-driven modernization

Whether or not its pending $68 billion purchase of Aetna gets finalized, CVS Health will pump big bucks into broadening its menu of healthcare services and personalizing them for consumers. And a key component of its plan is a data-analytics strategy steeped in AI.

The announcement came June 4 at a meeting CVS brass held for investors.

“Uniting CVS Health with Aetna provides us direct access to an unparalleled breadth of data,” CEO Larry Merlo said, according to coverage posted at HealthExec. “Our aim here is simple: to turn data into insights and insights into action.”

While the deal with Aetna is still under antitrust review, CVS is already moving ahead with a pilot program drawing on shared data to expand its in-store Minute Clinics into further-reaching “HealthHub” sites.  

Meanwhile ZDNet blogger Larry Dignan quotes CVS’s chief operating officer, Jonathan Roberts, who put some meat on the data bone at the June 4 meeting.  

“By applying a wide range of analytics to our integrated data including machine learning and artificial intelligence, we will be able to generate meaningful insights to drive growth, improve our business performance and execute against our strategy,” Roberts said. “[T]hese valuable insights will give us the ability to inform individuals about their next best health actions.”

Click to read the rest of Dignan’s blog post:

Dave Pearson

Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.

Around the web

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, said the clinical community needs to combat health misinformation at a grassroots level. He warned that patients are immersed in a "sea of misinformation without a compass."

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup