How AI can "nudge" patients toward better health

Healthcare organizations are under consistent, heavy pressure to manage their costs, but patients also have a big role to play in managing healthcare costs by working to take better care of themselves. But what can stakeholders do to get many, if not most, patients to take on that responsibility? That's the question Kumar Srinivas, CTO for the health plan group at NTT DATA, a data management services provider, takes up in a recent commentary at Forbes. In his view, while it's obvious there is little health plans can do to force their patients to improve their preventative health regimens, there are things that can be done to "nudge" them along the same path. He cites a recent book co-authored by an economist and a law professor that describes how people can be "nudged" to make better decisions on a range of personal issues.