Earlier this year, we saw Watson, IBM's highly intelligent machine beat the two all-time winners in Jeopardy!. Of course, IBM did not spend all its time and resources just to create a system that can win at game shows. Watson, with its ability to rapidly process natural language queries, has many potential applications for business and society, and one key starting point is in healthcare. WellPoint, Inc., one of the nation's largest health insurers, announced that it is employing Watson technology to help analyze the meaning and context of human language, and quickly process vast amounts of information to suggest options targeted to a patient's circumstances. This can assist decision makers, such as physicians and nurses, in identifying the most likely diagnosis and treatment options for their patients. Watson is expected to serve as a powerful tool in the physician's decision making process. To stay on top of all the trends, subscribe to Database Trends and Applications magazine.