WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) has partnered with IBM Watson for cancer decision support.

WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) Fighting Cancer With Watson

WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) announced that it has teamed up with IBM’s Watson to create commercial decision support tools for oncology, using the Watson supercomputer’s ability to understand language and analyze vast amounts of information.

Andrew J. Lang, senior VP and chief information officer of WellPoint (NYSE:WLP), said that, “The growing complexity of cancer diagnosis and treatment is a prime reason why WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) chose to address this disease first. Watson could help physicians keep up with the latest evidence and select the best solutions for individual patients, he argued. And if useless or less effective treatments were avoided, it could lower the costs of treating this very expensive condition. In the long run, WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) and IBM also want to apply Watson across the continuum of care”.

WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) shares were at 66.87 at the end of the last day’s trading. There’s been a 2.3% change in the stock price over the past 3 months.

WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) Analyst Advice
Consensus Opinion: Moderate Buy
Mean recommendation: 1.55
(1=Strong Buy, 5=Strong Sell)
3 Months Ago: 1.62
Zack’s Rank: 12 out of 18 in the industry