Leveraging cognitive for member firm clients
Deloitte is focused on using cognitive computing as a positive disruptor. Member firms are working with several vendors with niche capabilities that complement and extend new cognitive abilities. “Our goal is to provide holistic cognitive and advanced analytics solutions to help our clients make smarter decisions,” says Paul Roma, Deloitte US Innovation leader and principal.
A tangible sign of the Deloitte US’s commitment is a recently established US$20 million fund set up specifically to finance a new cognitive platform and develop solutions each Deloitte US business can take to market. “This is a game changer for us,” Roma says. “We are going to build our own platform, powered by cognitive computing vendors and, using that platform, we will create and deploy new products for clients. The fund will be a real catalyst for innovation.”
Among Deloitte US’s highest priorities in this arena is exploring ways that cognitive technologies could transform health care. Deloitte US is currently working with a broad group of vendors and startups that are developing specific solutions based on cognitive technologies.
Early applications being piloted among select US clients include an app that uses machine learning to identify patients at risk of developing diabetes and offer insights tailored to specific individuals. “This app goes beyond risk-group generalizations and generic suggestions. Instead, it uses targeted insights to serve a party of one,” explains Rajeev Ronanki, lead for Deloitte US’s Cognitive Computing practice. “Based on people’s medical histories and behaviors, it even can predict who will likely respond to intervention and who may need more convincing.”
Another offering, recognizing a general shift toward a consumer-centric model in health care in the US, is using cognitive capabilities to help a large health plan provider retain customers and reduce turnover. And still another solution is using natural-language processing, probability models, and machine learning to help revolutionize what today is typically a very manual—and often frustrating—prescription preauthorization process.
As cognitive computing technology matures and Deloitte’s experience grows, the way member firms explore and deliver cognitive-related services will likely continue to evolve. “We expect the market to grow dramatically as capabilities develop and people find practical ways to apply cognitive computing to address business problems,” says Nitin Mittal, Principal and Advanced Analytics Technology Leader, Deloitte US. “As a global network of firms with deep industry knowledge, Deloitte is optimistic about the remarkable capabilities cognitive computing can offer. But, Deloitte needs to weave such technologies into our existing competencies to provide innovative cognitive solutions to member firm clients.”
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