EmblemHealth’s new AI-enabled Weather Resilience Program can warn people about any concerning … More
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If you’re in the New York City area and get a call from Rachel, it may be time to start getting worried and do something about it. It’s not as if Rachel is a bad person, though. In fact, Rachel isn’t even a real person but is still interested in helping you. Or at least programmed to do so. Rachel is the name of the artificial intelligence-generated interface to EmblemHealth’s new Weather Resilience Program that can warn you about any concerning weather events and give you advice on what to do. But Rachel goes beyond your standard weatherperson on TV. Rachel can have a conversation with you, sort of like a real person and tailor the responses and advice to you and your specific needs.
The Weather Alert System Offers More Personalized Advice Than Standard Weather Reports
Rachel and this service is now available to members of EmblemHealth, one of the largest not-for-profit health insurers in the U.S.. And if you’ve got EmblemHelath for your health insurance, chances are Rachel will already know quite a bit about you. EmblemHealth’s Chief Medical Officer, Daniel Knecht. MD, MBA, explained, “The system has access to clinical data on EmblemHealth’s members, including across Medicare and Medicaid and marries that with geospatial data.”
Knecht added, “One example of such geospatial data is the heat vulnerability index, which takes into account things like the amount of tree canopy and air conditioning in a neighborhood.” As you can see on the Heat Vulnerability Index or HVI website for New York City, different neighborhoods face different risks during the same heat wave. Heck, different neighborhoods may even be facing fairly different temperatures.
Therefore, when you’re feeling the heat, Rachel won’t be simply saying stuff like, “It’s gonna be a hot one out there. Stay cool, NYC,” like you may hear on TV. Instead, Rachel may be telling you more specifically how much heat you’ll be facing and how best to avoid it based on where specifically you live. Rachel may also know your current health status and tell you how any of your medical conditions may make you even more susceptible to the heat and what then to do,
Again, this is a voice conversation similar to a real person-to-real-person conversation. AI is helping EmblemHealth do what would otherwise take many, many healthcare personnel, many more than are currently available. And Rachel has some flexibility that not every human might have. Knecht related a recent connect between Rachel and EmblemHealth member where Rachel switched from English to Spanish as soon as Rachel recognized that the member was more fluent in Spanish.
The Weather Alert System Recognizes The Impact That Weather Can Have On Health
If you are wondering “weather” this is a good idea for a health insurer, remember that the weather can greatly affect different aspects of a person’s health. Weather certainly has its effects on mental and emotional health. Just build on that song from The Carpenters that went “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down” to see how. For example, your mood may fluctuate based on how much sun you are getting. Too little could leave you feeling down and even depressed. Too much could leave you feeling irritable and exhausted.
Then there are the direct physical health effects of weather. For example, last Summer, I wrote in Forbes about how heat and humidity can lead to heat cramps, exhaustion and stroke as well as exacerbate chronic medical conditions like heart disease. Knecht called heat “a silent killer, causing direct events and also tremendous stress on the human body.” So if you’ve got an underlying medical condition like heart disease, heat could tip you over the edge.
This is true with the opposite of heat as well. Cold weather can lead to direct effects like frostbite. It can also exacerbate underlying conditions. Breathing in cold air, for example, can trigger major breathing difficulties in someone with an underlying respiratory disease.
Moreover, your head and mind are not separate from your body. (If they happen to be separated, call your doctor immediately.) Therefore, your mental and emotional health can affect your physical health and vice-versa. For example, feeling stressed can increase your heart rate and blood pressure.
Humans aren’t the only ones affected by their surroundings. More extreme weather can be “ruff” on dogs and other pets as well. That can end up affecting the humans who care for them. That’s why warnings about pets are part of EmblemHealth’s weather alert system too.
Climate Change Is Increasing The Need For Weather Alert Systems
One could say that this is the right climate for such personalized weather alert systems. Or perhaps the right, wrong climate. If you haven’t noticed, there’s this thing called climate change that’s been happening for a while. It’s already been leading to more and more extreme weather events over time like heat waves, as I’ve written before in Forbes, Climate change has also been laying the ground for more and more disasters like wildfires by leaving the ground drier and drier and more likely to catch fire, which I covered in May,
These more extreme weather events and disasters in turn bring even more health threats more frequently. For example, wildfires can not only cause direct injury and damage to people and property but can also spew all sorts of nasty stuff into the air. “In June 2023, New York City had some of the worst air quality in the world,” Knecht recalled.
The poor air quality, attributed to the wildfires in Canada, can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular issues, and even increase the risk of cancer in the long run, as discussed in Forbes two years ago.
For instance, a recent heatwave in June resulted in over 100 visits to the emergency room, highlighting the health implications of extreme weather events. This not only impacted the individuals’ well-being but also strained resources and time in providing care, potentially affecting other patients in emergency rooms.
EmblemHealth’s Weather Alert System aligns with their mission to address social determinants of health, particularly in underserved communities. By proactively warning individuals about weather threats, the insurer aims to reduce medical costs associated with health issues arising from climate change.
The success of the weather alert program is being monitored, with high member satisfaction and positive feedback. This initiative is part of EmblemHealth’s precision population health approach, tailored to individual needs and demographics to improve health outcomes.
As climate change continues to pose challenges, EmblemHealth plans to enhance the Weather Resilience Program based on member feedback. The evolving nature of the program reflects the need to adapt to changing weather patterns and mitigate health risks effectively. Please rephrase this sentence.
