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18% of eligible patients get lung cancer screening. At FQHCs, it’s under 6%.
Let that sink in.
Lung cancer kills more Americans than colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer combined. This year, 235,760 people will be diagnosed. 85% will be found at a late stage, when 5-year survival drops below 9%. Catch it at Stage I: 77-92%.
The math on early detection is not complicated. The execution is.
Even when patients do get scanned, the tools being used to read those scans have real limits nobody talks about.
🔬 The Lung-RADS problem
Lung-RADS is the current standard for classifying lung nodules: a rule-based system built on size thresholds alone. No shape, texture, density, or patient history. A radiologist reading 8,000 scans a year will miscategorize roughly 2,400 with no AI safety net. Two radiologists reading the same scan disagree on risk category nearly one-third of the time.
The result: up to 40% false positives driving unnecessary biopsies, 10% false negatives where real cancers get missed, and a system that treats a nodule scoring 61 the same as one scoring 98 on actual malignancy probability.
That is where Oatmeal Health is building.
🫁 What a malignancy score changes
Our Pre-FDA AI, layers a continuous 0-100 malignancy probability onto each nodule inside existing CADe and PACS systems. No new login. No workflow change.
For radiologists: read time drops from 5-10 minutes to 1.5-3 minutes (CADe+CADx), fewer unnecessary biopsies, and net-new revenue via CPT 0721T.
For pulmonologists: you can down-triage nodules that look worrisome under Lung-RADS but carry low actual malignancy probability, safely extending follow-up from 3 months to 6 months where appropriate. Less radiation, fewer visits, less patient anxiety.
Most importantly: the highest-risk patients get prioritized first. When appointment slots are limited, the nodule scoring 94 should not be waiting behind the one scoring 63. AI makes that triage systematic instead of anecdotal.
More screening gets patients in the door. Smarter reads ensure the right ones get seen first.
Are your nodule workflows built for volume, or built for accuracy?
♻️ Repost if every eligible patient deserves a fighting chance at early detection.
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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.
