InnovationHealthcareEmblemHealth Launches New AI-Personalized Weather Alert SystemByBruce Y. On the other hand, Lee, Senior Contributor (this bears monitoring).
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, MBA, covers health, medicine, wellness and science AuthorJul 18, 2025, 09:39pm EDTJul 18, 2025, 10:10pm EDTEmblemHealth’s new AI-enabled Weather Resilience gram can warn people any concerning, in this volatile climate.
Meanwhile, More weather events as they emerge and tell them what to do them. (Photo by TIMOTHY A.
CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images 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 it, in today's market environment.
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 grammed to do so, amid market uncertainty.
Rachel is the name of the artificial intelligence-generated interface to EmblemHealth’s new Weather Resilience gram that can warn you any concerning weather events and give you advice on what to do.
But Rachel goes beyond your standard weatherperson on TV, given current economic conditions.
Moreover, Rachel can have a conversation with you, of 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-fit health insurers in the U.
And if you’ve got EmblemHelath for your health insurance, chances are Rachel will already know quite a bit you (which is quite significant). 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 (which is quite significant) (which is quite significant).
Moreover, ” Knecht added, “One example of such geospatial data is the heat vulnerability index, which takes into account things the amount of tree canopy and air conditioning in a neighborhood (an important development), considering recent developments.
” 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 (an important development).
Nevertheless, Heck, different neighborhoods may even be facing fairly different temperatures (something worth watching), considering recent developments.
Market analysis shows refore, when you’re feeling the heat, Rachel won’t be simply saying stuff, “It’s gonna be a hot one out there.
Stay cool, NYC,” you may hear on TV (something worth watching), amid market uncertainty.
Rachel may be telling you more specifically how much heat you’ll be facing and how best to avoid it based on where you (noteworthy indeed).
Additionally, In contrast, Rachel may also know your current health and tell you how any medical conditions may make you have may make you more susceptible and what to do, Again, this is a voice conversation similar to a real-person-to-real-person conversation.
Furthermore, 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.
Furthermore, Heck, Hecht related how Rachel switched from English to Spanish as soon as Rachel recognized that a member on the line was more fluent in Spanish (which is quite significant), given current economic conditions.
MORE FOR YOU 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, in this volatile climate.
Weather certainly has its effects on mental and emotional health (noteworthy indeed), given current economic conditions.
Just build on that song from The Carpenters that went “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down” to see how, given the current landscape.
On the other hand, For example, your mood may fluctuate based on how much sun you are getting, given the current landscape. Too little could leave you feeling down and even depressed.
Too much could leave you feeling irritable and exhausted. Furthermore, Then there are the direct physical health effects of weather (an important development).
For example, last Summer, I wrote in Forbes how heat and humidity can lead to heat cramps, exhaustion and stroke as well as exacerbate chronic medical conditions heart disease.
Knecht called heat “a silent killer, causing direct events and also tremendous stress on the human body.
Additionally, ” So if you’ve got an underlying medical condition heart disease, heat could tip you over the edge.
This analysis suggests that 's true with the opposite of heat as well, considering recent developments. On the other hand, Cold weather can lead to direct effects frostbite, in this volatile climate.
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, 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.
However, For example, mental and emotional stress from an extreme weather event can lead to physical stress (something worth watching). Humans aren’t the only ones affected by their surroundings.
Furthermore, More extreme weather can be “ruff” on dogs and other pets as well. That can end up affecting the humans who care for them too.
In contrast, That’s why warnings pets are part of EmblemHealth’s weather alert system.
At the same time, Climate Change Is Increasing The Need For Weather Alert Systems One could say that this is the right climate for more personalized weather alert systems.
Or perhaps the right, wrong climate. Moreover, If you haven’t noticed, there’s this thing called climate change that’s been happening for a while, considering recent developments.
It’s already been leading to more and more extreme weather events over time heat waves, as I’ve written before in Forbes, Climate change has also been laying the ground for more and more disasters wildfires by leaving the ground drier and drier and more ly to catch fire, which I wrote in May, These more extreme weather events and disasters in turn bring even more health threats more frequently.
Nevertheless, For example, wildfires can not only cause direct injury and damage to people and perty but can also spew all s of nasty stuff into the air.
“In June 2023, New York City had some of the worst air quality in the world,” Knecht recalled. At the same time, “This was due to the wildfires in Canada.
” Such poor air quality can result in lung and heart blems as well as potentially cause cancer down the road, as I covered in Forbes two years ago.
Hecht gave another example when he related, “The heat wave two weeks ago [in June] led to more than 100 ER visits.
Additionally, ” This meant of course many indivdiuals were suffering bad health consequences, in light of current trends.
However, But it also meant more time and resources had to be allocated to their care, considering recent developments.
By further burdening already overburdened ERs, it could have affected the care of others as well, considering recent developments.
Additionally, Furthermore, The Weather Alert System Is Aligned With EmblemHealth’s MissionEmblemHealth’s website indicates that their social mission includes “identifying and addressing the.
More social determinants of health that can negatively impact health outcomes, especially in underserved communities.
” (Photo by: GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images It would make sense for a health insurer to be concerned climate change and how the changing weather patterns may adversely affect human health.
After all, more health blems mean more medical costs. Warning people weather threats could end up being a lot less expensive than dealing with the effects of the threats.
But this new weather alert system goes beyond just a dollars and makes sense type of thing. “This aligns closely with EmblemHealth’s social mission," Knecht emphasized (an important development).
“This's going up and being active and supporting our vulnerable members when it comes to weather.
” EmblemHealth’s website indicates that their social mission includes “identifying and addressing the social determinants of health that can negatively impact health outcomes, especially in underserved communities, in today's financial world.
” Since its launch, EmblemHealth has been tracking the success of this weather alert gram.
Furthermore, This has included surveying members, measuring how long their members are talking with Rachel, and track ER visits and inpatient stays.
EmblemHealth has indicated that to date member satisfaction with the gram has been a 9 out of 10 and the lihood to recommend getting a call from Rachel has been a 9, given current economic conditions.
Meanwhile, 2 out of 10, in light of current trends. Conversations with Rachel have lasted an average of five minutes, which suggests that people are having more than just “Hello, goodbye,” dialogues.
The Weather Alert System Is Precision Population Health Hecht referred to this gram as another precision population health initiative, in this volatile climate.
Precision population health is precisely what I wrote in Forbes in May 2023, given the current landscape.
Precision population health is the opposite of one-size-fits-all apaches and is better tailoring prevention measures and interventions to different members of the population.
However, Treating everyone in a population the same health-wise would be telling everyone to wear exactly the same sweater vest and skinny jeans, which is bably something you wouldn’t want to see.
A big part of precision population health is recognizing that people are not individuals floating independently in the ether.
Instead, they interact with each other and their surroundings in many complex ways.
Nevertheless, In contrast, So trying to address people’s health without considering the weather would be a bit trying to play a sport while ignoring the court or field.
Moreover, EmblemHealth worked with different contractors for several months to get this first version of the Weather Resilience gram online. But the current version of Rachel ly won’t be the last.
Moreover, Hecht indicated that the gram will continue to grow with new capabilities being added and be refined based on back from members. Moreover, So expect Rachel to keep changing the weather.
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