Symptom checker uses artificial intelligence

A new digital health tool that uses artificial intelligence is now another option to check symptoms for Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin health network.

The tool, Buoy, is available at froedtert.com, the company announced in a news release Thursday. Buoy is like the system’s own version of WebMD that uses artificial intelligence to personalize the experience.

The idea, Froedtert said, is to improve a patient’s ability to navigate the health system to find the most appropriate care. Last year, outpatient visits exceeded 1.1 million to the 40 health centers and clinics.

Buoy — designed by a team of doctors and computer scientists — asks questions as users enter their symptoms. It waits for responses in real time and provides personalized recommendations for how to best treat symptoms and options for care.

“Buoy’s algorithm really listens and then recalculates your inputs in real time. This helps serve up questions that will more quickly and more accurately identify what’s wrong, so you can get on the right path to getting better,” said Andrew Le, CEO and co-founder of Buoy in the news release.

The Buoy team worked closely with Harvard’s Innovation Laboratory to map out how people describe symptoms in searches to create the tool. With artificial intelligence technology, Buoy will continue to improve as more people use it.

“Buoy is an educational and informational tool. It’s not meant as a substitute for professional medical advice. It’s meant to connect people more quickly with the right medical care at the right time,” said Mike Anderes, chief innovation and digital officer for Froedtert Health and president of Inception Health. “With the wealth of health information available on the internet, we want people to have the most credible and helpful tools available.”