CVS and IBM's Watson cloud pursue ways to predict patient health

CVS Health (CVS) and IBM say they've formed a partnership designed to better predict deteriorating health of the pharmacy giant's customers through predictive analytics. IBM's Watson, the computer giant's artificial intelligence system, hopes to bring better care coordination and more personalized care to CVS customers and employer clients. The effort will better identify patients who may be at risk for bad health outcomes, the companies say. Predictive analytics and IBM Watson's "cognitive computing" are part of an evolving and growing trend in the health care industry.