Data-mining in doctor's office helps solve medical mysteries

As hospitals digitize patient records and amass huge amounts of data, many are relying on companies such as Microsoft, SAS Institute Inc., International Business Machines Corp. and Oracle Corp., whose data-mining technologies can help them detect patterns and improve medical care. The analytics industry generated more than $30 billion in revenue last year, according to research firm IDC. That is forecast to increase to $33.6 billion this year as the healthcare industry becomes a bigger customer. The use of data-mining technology has already led to some measurable improvements in patient care.