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CVS just created 100,000 digital patients to test on.
And it’s changing how we design healthcare experiences forever.
Here’s what’s happening:
CVS Health partnered with Simile to build “agentic twins”, AI simulations of real patients based on 2.9 million consented responses from over 400,000 people.
These aren’t generic personas. They’re detailed behavioral models that predict how specific patient groups will react to services, messages, and care pathways.
The numbers are staggering:
• 85-95% accuracy compared to real patient studies
• Testing completed in hours instead of weeks
• Over 200 behavioral scenarios already modeled
• Hard-to-reach populations like immunocompromised patients finally represented
But here’s what makes this revolutionary:
These digital twins don’t just tell you what patients will do. They explain WHY.
Why did someone skip their medication refill?
Why didn’t they schedule preventive care?
Why did they abandon the digital checkout?
CVS can now ask follow-up questions to simulated patients, uncovering insights that traditional surveys miss because of participant fatigue or recruitment challenges.
They’re using it to:
• Test new digital products before launch
• A/B test messaging with vulnerable populations
• Understand competitor perceptions
• Design services for patients who typically don’t participate in research
This isn’t replacing human judgment. CVS maintains strict governance for fairness and safety, using simulations to prioritize which ideas deserve real-world testing.
The Silver Stevie Award they just won for Customer Experience AI validates what many of us suspected:
The future of healthcare design isn’t just listening to patients.
It’s creating digital versions of them to test every possible scenario before a single real person is affected.
Think about the implications:
📊 Every FQHC could test outreach strategies for their exact patient mix
🏥 Hospitals could simulate emergency department flows before renovations
💊 Pharma could predict adherence patterns before drug launch
We’re entering an era where “patient-centered design” means testing on millions of simulated patients first.
The question isn’t whether this technology will spread.
It’s how fast healthcare organizations will adopt it, and whether smaller providers will have access to these powerful tools.
What excites me most? The potential to finally understand and serve populations that healthcare has historically struggled to reach.
♻️ Repost if healthcare needs to test on digital twins before real patients
👉 Follow me, Jonathan Govette, for daily, real-time updates on healthcare technology and business news. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangovette/
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Author:
Jonathan Govette is a seasoned healthcare and technology executive with more than two decades of experience building, scaling, and advising digital health companies. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Oatmeal Health, an AI-driven Lung Cancer Screening and Diagnostics company focused on expanding access to early detection for underrepresented populations, particularly patients served by Federally Qualified Health Centers and value-based health plans.
With a background in engineering, product development, and strategic partnerships, Jonathan has founded and led multiple health technology ventures across clinical care delivery, regulated medical software, and AI-enabled diagnostics. His work sits at the intersection of medicine, technology, and health equity, with a consistent focus on translating complex clinical problems into scalable, real-world solutions.
Jonathan has spent much of his professional life dedicated to improving outcomes for marginalized and underserved communities. He has designed and implemented frameworks that align clinical quality, reimbursement, and technology to sustainably advance health equity at scale. This mission is deeply personal and informs his leadership philosophy and long-term vision for healthcare transformation.
In addition to his operating experience, Jonathan is an author and long-time writer in the healthcare domain, with over 20 years of published work covering digital health, medical innovation, and healthcare systems. He is a frequent mentor to early-stage founders and regularly advises startups on product strategy, partnerships, and go-to-market execution in regulated healthcare environments.
Before entering industry full-time, Jonathan nearly pursued a career in medicine with an early path toward cardiothoracic surgery, an experience that continues to shape his clinical perspective and respect for frontline care delivery.
CEO | Oatmeal Health | AI Lung Cancer Startup | Engineer | Writer | Almost Became a Doctor (Cardiac Thoracic Surgeon) | 3x Health Tech Founder | Startup Mentor | Follow to share what I’ve learned along the way.
