Highlands Oncology Group Awarded "Best Sponsor-Focused Tech Development" Accolade

Rogers, Arkansas, April 12, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Highlands Oncology Group, Northwest Arkansas’ leading cancer treatment provider, was awarded for “Best Sponsor-Focused Technological Development” at the second annual Clinical and Research Excellence (CARE) Awards.

Highlands Oncology Group won for their use of IBM Watson to electronically screen patients for qualifying clinical trials. The group was presented the award at the 2017 CARE Awards on April 5 in Boston. The CARE Awards recognize excellence across global clinical research.

Watson for Clinical Trial Matching enhances clinicians’ ability to find the potential list of clinical trials for which patients may be eligible, increases the likelihood that patients are offered the option of a clinical trial for treatment and increases clinical trial fulfillment through effective patient recruitment, according to the IBM website.

“The Watson Clinical Trial Matching Team developed a solution to automate the screening of patient records by study staff to identify potential study participants,” according to the CARE Awards judges. “Cost, time and potential for error are all dramatically improved. This was a powerful, forward-looking approach anticipating the convergence of clinical care and clinical research driven by electronic health and medical information.”

IBM Watson is a technology platform that uses natural language processing and machine learning to reveal insights from large amounts of unstructured data, according to the International Business Machines (IBM) website.

In 2017, there will be an estimated 1,688,780 new cancer cases diagnosed and 600,920 cancer deaths in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Approximately 40 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes, according to the National Cancer Institute.

As such, clinical trial participation is important to the advancement of cancer treatment.

Highlands Oncology Group was awarded in unison with Novartis Oncology and IBM Watson Health for their collaboration in the clinical trial matching program. As the leading cancer treatment and research facility in Northwest Arkansas, Highlands Oncology Group is dedicated to the advancement of cancer treatment and to providing patients with the best possible care and results.

To see the full list of winners for the 2017 CARE Awards, visit: https://ibiawards.com/careawards/2017-winners/

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Highlands Oncology Group is a state-of-the-art facility, with a world-class team of specialists, that is committed to providing premier cancer treatment and to enhancing the quality of life of patients and their loved ones. Highlands Oncology group provides this in a friendly, comfortable environment conveniently located in Northwest Arkansas. Highlands offers the latest technology of diagnostic imaging and radiation therapies, on-site labs, a pharmacy and an infusion center. They also offer access to clinical trials, multidisciplinary clinics and support groups. Highlands Oncology Group is helping patients win the battle against cancer, every day!

For more information, visit: www.HighlandsOncologyGroup.com.

Source: Highlands Oncology Group