With care.coach, patients simply talk with a captivating avatar that serves as the face for care.coach’s team of specially trained health advocates. The platform engages patients, coaches them to improve self-management of chronic conditions, and provides compassionate, 24×7 psychosocial support. Conversations of a clinical nature are automated through software algorithms that implement clinical best practices, as well as reporting and alerts to stakeholders such as clinicians, caregivers, and family members. Because it is driven by real people, the platform works with any level of technology and cognitive ability, which makes it ideally suited for the types of patients at the highest healthcare risk and cost strata.