How Data Science Is Transforming Health Care

In the early days of the 20th century, department store magnate John Wanamaker famously said, "I know that half of my advertising doesn't work. The problem is that I don't know which half." That remained basically true until Google transformed advertising with AdSense based on new uses of data and analysis. The same might be said about health care and it's poised to go through a similar transformation as new tools, techniques, and data sources come on line. Soon we'll make policy and resource decisions based on much better understanding of what leads to the best outcomes, and we'll make medical decisions based on a patient's specific biology. The result will be better health at less cost. This paper explores how data analysis will help us structure the business of health care more effectively around outcomes, and how it will transform the practice of medicine by personalizing for each specific patient.