Forward Health Group
Forward Health Group is a Madison, Wisconsin-based healthcare analytics SaaS company that unifies clinical (EHR) and claims data into population health, revenue, and clinician well-being analytics for health systems, health plans, and clinical practices. Its four-platform suite and CMS-approved MIPS registry target value-based care transformation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersMadison, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Forward Health Group does
Forward Health Group is a privately held healthcare analytics company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, founded in 2004 and commercially launched in 2009. The company builds an Analytics-as-a-Service platform that unifies Clinical Data (Electronic Health Records) with Health Plan Claims Data — branded as 'healthcare data bilingual' — to deliver population health, revenue, quality, and operational analytics for health systems, health plans, and clinical practices navigating value-based care. Its core technology is built around two patented data visualization methodologies (Predictive Risk Model and Outcomes Monitoring) and a proprietary Data Stewardship process that enables reporting across full calendar years without requiring EHR platform upgrades.
The product portfolio centers on four registered-trademark platforms: PopulationManager (the core analytics engine for population health, HCC/RAF scoring, and executive dashboards), PopulationCompass (network leakage and patient referral analytics), ClinicianPulse (EHR-burden reduction and clinician well-being), and NursingPulse (nursing workforce optimization). Specialized use cases extend the platform into Ambient Listening Measurement, Patient Care Journey analysis, and Population Attribution. The company also operates a CMS-approved MIPS Qualified Registry and Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) for 2024 and 2026, including renal and vascular specialty measures, enabling quality reporting and bonus-point capture for clinician clients.
Forward Health Group operates an enterprise SaaS subscription model on a quote-based, annual billing cadence with custom implementation and integration services. Go-to-market is consultative direct sales targeting health systems and health plans nationwide, with content marketing through dedicated product microsites and research-citation-led thought leadership. The company holds a strategic partnership with the Institute of Professional Worklife (IPW) for clinician well-being solutions and is led by founder/CEO Michael Barbouche, with Tommy Thompson (former US HHS Secretary) on the board. The company has not raised disclosed funding since 2016 and operates with an 11–50 person headcount.
Forward Health Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forward Health Group
- Legal name
- Forward Health Group
- Website
- https://forward.health
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Forward Health Group is a Madison, Wisconsin-based healthcare analytics SaaS company that unifies clinical (EHR) and claims data into population health, revenue, and clinician well-being analytics for health systems, health plans, and clinical practices. Its four-platform suite and CMS-approved MIPS registry target value-based care transformation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forward Health Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Healthcare Analytics Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Clinical & Claims Data Integration for Population Health (payer-provider data fusion) (HLACAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Quality Measurement, Reporting & Benchmarking (HEDIS/Stars/CQM) (HLACAHAC), FHIR/HL7 Data Repositories & Canonical Data Models (HLACAIAI), Cost of Care, Spend Analytics & Financial Performance Management (HLACAHAJ)
Keywords
Where Forward Health Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madison
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Forward Health Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software as a Service (SaaS): Analytics-as-a-Service model featuring software for managing healthcare quality data. Provides subscription-based access to PopulationCompass, ClinicianPulse, NursingPulse, and PopulationManager platforms. Revenue derived from software services for population health management, MIPS reporting, and clinical workflow optimization.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise SaaS - Custom Pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Forward Health Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forward Health Group delivers an Analytics-as-a-Service platform that unifies Clinical Data (EHR) and Claims Data (Health Plans) into actionable visualizations for population health management. Its portfolio includes PopulationManager, PopulationCompass, ClinicianPulse, and NursingPulse, complemented by MIPS Qualified Registry and QCDR services. The offering is targeted at health systems and health plans seeking to increase revenue, improve quality, and drive efficiency.
Product overview
Forward Health Group offers a unified analytics platform combining software, advanced analytics, and subject matter expertise. The core portfolio consists of four main products: PopulationManager® (the central platform unifying EHR and claims data for population health analytics), PopulationCompass® (network leakage and revenue acceleration), ClinicianPulse® (EHR burden reduction and clinician well-being), and NursingPulse® (nursing workload optimization). These products are complemented by specialized use cases including Ambient Listening Measurement, Patient Care Journey analysis, and PopulationAttribution services. The company also provides MIPS regulatory reporting through its CMS-approved Qualified Registry and QCDR. All solutions are delivered as Analytics-as-a-Service with a focus on clinical, financial, and operational outcomes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PopulationCompass: Analytics solution addressing network leakage and out-of-network care to help health systems recapture revenue.
- ClinicianPulse
- NursingPulse
- PopulationManager
Products and services
- PopulationCompass Network leakage analytics solution that transforms claims data into actionable insights to identify out-of-network care, revenue loss, and patient referral patterns, enabling health systems to re-engage patients and improve service line access.
- ClinicianPulse Data visualization solution that decreases EHR message volume by over 50%, increases patient access, and reduces Time Outside Scheduled Hours (TOSH) by over 60% to reduce clinician burnout and support workflow reengineering.
- NursingPulse Intuitive data visualization solution for nursing workforce optimization that accelerates top-line revenue and decreases staff expenses by enabling work redistribution, optimal nurse staffing, and EHR optimization.
- PopulationManager Core analytics platform that unifies Clinical Data (EHR) and Claims Data to deliver patient-level insights, actionable data visualizations, and population health management, supporting HCC/RAF scoring, executive dashboards, value-based contract participation, and MIPS reporting.
- Ambient Listening Measurement Objective measurement solution that tracks the impact of ambient listening solutions on patient visit volume and Time Outside Scheduled Hours (TOSH), enabling delivery systems to quantify the effect of new tools and interventions on patient access and clinician time.
- MIPS Qualified Registry & QCDR Services CMS-approved Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Qualified Registry and Qualified Clinical Data Registry services for quality measure reporting, including renal and vascular outcomes improvement measures for 2024 and 2026.
- Clinician Well-being Program Evidence-based approach to clinician well-being combining workflow redesign, EHR analytics, and team-based care implementation to reduce burnout and improve practice efficiency.
Quantifiable outcome
- EHR message volume reduction > 50%
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Forward Health Group
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Forward Health Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature5 records
Forward Health Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Institute of Professional Worklife (IPW)corePartnership with IPW, led by Dr. Linzer, to consult on wellness implementation and burnout reduction. IPW provides world-leading expertise in changing systems for burnout reduction, while Forward Health Group contributes excellence in data retrieval and analysis. The partnership creates combined expertise for healthcare workforce well-being solutions.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)coreCMS has approved Forward Health Group as a MIPS Qualified Registry (QR) and Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) for 2024 and 2026. This regulatory partnership enables the company to submit quality measures on behalf of clinicians and practices participating in MIPS, with approved measures including renal and vascular outcomes.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Forward Health Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Merative (formerly IBM Watson Health): Merative offers healthcare analytics, including clinical decision support and population health tools inherited from IBM Watson Health. It is a broader incumbent competing with FHG in clinical and claims analytics for large enterprises.
- Premier Inc. Premier Inc. is a large healthcare improvement company offering performance services, analytics, and supply chain solutions to health systems. Its analytics portfolio overlaps with FHG's population health management capabilities but spans a much broader portfolio.
- Epic Systems: Epic Systems is the dominant EHR vendor with its own population health and analytics modules (e.g., Healthy Planet). It is a broader incumbent whose embedded analytics compete with FHG's clinical data layer, although Epic does not natively fuse claims data at the same depth as FHG.
- Optum (UnitedHealth Group): Optum is a massive health services and innovation company offering analytics, care delivery, and pharmacy services. Its population health analytics suite competes broadly with FHG's offerings for both payers and providers, although at significantly larger scale.
Direct peers
- SCIO Health Analytics (now part of EXL): SCIO Health Analytics, now part of EXL Service, provides healthcare analytics combining clinical, claims, and consumer data for payers and providers. It overlaps directly with FHG's analytics-as-a-service model.
- Lumeris: Lumeris is a value-based care enablement company that combines population health analytics with care delivery partnerships for health systems and payers. It overlaps with FHG's PopulationManager and value-based contract analytics use cases.
- Cotiviti: Cotiviti provides payment accuracy and population health analytics to health plans, combining clinical and claims data for risk adjustment and quality measurement. It competes with FHG in the payer-provider data integration category.
- Health Catalyst: Health Catalyst is a healthcare data and analytics platform serving health systems with population health, quality, and cost analytics. It directly competes with FHG's PopulationManager in the data warehousing and analytics-as-a-service category for provider organizations.
- Innovaccer: Innovaccer offers a healthcare data activation platform that unifies clinical, claims, and social data to support population health, value-based care, and provider-payer data exchange. It competes with FHG in the healthcare data bilingual space.
- Arcadia: Arcadia provides a healthcare data platform that aggregates EHR, claims, and other clinical data for population health management and value-based care analytics. It is a direct competitor to FHG's PopulationManager and PopulationCompass offerings for health systems and payers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Forward Health Group social profiles
Digital presenceForward Health Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Forward Health Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forward Health Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Forward Health Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forward Health Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forward Health Group
What does Forward Health Group do?
Forward Health Group delivers an Analytics-as-a-Service platform that unifies Clinical Data (EHR) and Claims Data (Health Plans) into actionable visualizations for population health management. Its portfolio includes PopulationManager, PopulationCompass, ClinicianPulse, and NursingPulse, complemented by MIPS Qualified Registry and QCDR services. The offering is targeted at health systems and health plans seeking to increase revenue, improve quality, and drive efficiency.
Is Forward Health Group a public or private company?
Forward Health Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Forward Health Group founded?
Forward Health Group was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Forward Health Group based?
Forward Health Group is headquartered in Madison, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forward Health Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: software as a Service (SaaS).
Who are Forward Health Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Merative (formerly IBM Watson Health), Premier Inc., Epic Systems and Optum (UnitedHealth Group). Direct peers are SCIO Health Analytics (now part of EXL), Lumeris, Cotiviti, Health Catalyst, Innovaccer and Arcadia.
Does Forward Health Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forward Health Group.
What industry is Forward Health Group in?
Forward Health Group's product category is Healthcare Analytics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACAHAI, Clinical & Claims Data Integration for Population Health (payer-provider data fusion), with a secondary code of HLACAHAC, Quality Measurement, Reporting & Benchmarking (HEDIS/Stars/CQM). Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7370.