Modernizing Medicine is partnering with IBM Watson of Jeopardy! fame to expand its electronic medical assistant.

With the help of the supercomputer, physicians will soon be able to ask a question of Watson about treatment research and get an immediate response as they're caring for a patient.

The interaction would take place via Modernizing Medicine's iPad tablet customized for specialty physicians such as dermatologists.

"The next decade forward will be the most exciting we've ever seen in computing as we begin to ask the computer questions and get direct answers," said Dan Cane, co-founder and CEO of Modernizing Medicine, based in Boca Raton.

IBM announced Friday that Modernizing Medicine was among three companies chosen for the IBM Watson Ecosystem program designed to develop a new generation of apps.

"The power of Watson is a game-changing proposition. Since we established a Watson developer ecosystem, we've seen the creativity flow from entrepreneurs around the world with business-changing ideas for the Watson technology," said Michael Rhodin, senior vice president for IBM Watson Group.

Watson may be best known for the 2011 stunt when the supercomputer was pitted against the best players on the TV quiz show Jeopardy! The computer won.

Cane said Watson represents a new era in which a computer can understand natural language while Modernizing Medicine collects data to help doctors learn from treatment outcomes.

With Watson, doctors will be able to instantly access research and information about clinical trials in hundreds of medical journals to better assess a treatment for a patient.

"Watson allows us to combine both worlds," Cane said. "It's a phenomenal collaboration."

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IBM Watson partners with Modernizing Medicine of Boca Raton