by Susan Eustis

Today Friday, February 10, there was a 7:30 am lecture at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Burlington Medical Grand Rounds.  The topic: Breakthrough Technologies Impacting Healthcare featured the speaker: Daniel Cerutti, General Manager, IBM Watson for Healthcare.  His objectives: were to educate the audience on Watson breakthrough technologies positioned to impact healthcare over time.  The aim was to introduce new business models in healthcare and solicit ideas for applications of this new technology.

In attendance were many physicians from Lahey, among them Dr. John L. Przybylski leader of the membership primary care practice Physicians for Prevention .  Dr. Przybylski noted that he thought that the IBM general manager Daniel Cerutti explained the Watson opportunity very well.  Dr. Przyblski liked idea of having Watson concentrate on cancer initially.  “As multiple studies are done, patients get a better treatment with a system like the IBM Watson.”, according to Dr. Przyblski.

“It is hard to be up to date in all aspects of medicine with the quantity of information doubling every five years.  Watson is not there to replace doctors, with the knowledge explosion Watson is having an effect of helping doctors with being up to data with the latest technology and the latest results.  These results really help medicine.”

Physicians for Prevention offers highly personalized medical care to its members with extended patient-physician appointments, 24/7 physician availability, same or next day appointments, and customized, preventative nutrition and exercise wellness programs. Seminars focus on medical topics relevant to patients.

“I became a doctor because I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives,” said John L. Przybylski, MD. “Physicians for Prevention allows me to effectively deliver the best possible care to my patients. It’s a shared advantage.”