Forward Health shut down: where its members go now
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Forward Health, the venture-backed "doctor in a box" startup that promised AI-powered primary care through sleek clinics and CarePods, shut down abruptly in November 2024. Multiple outlets including Endpoints News, Fierce Healthcare, and Business Insider reported the closure, and CBS Chicago documented the fallout: patients suddenly cut off from a practice that held their medical records. If you were a Forward member, or were considering joining, here is what happened and where to go instead.
What happened to Forward Health?
Forward raised hundreds of millions of dollars on the promise of tech-first primary care: app-based monitoring, body scanners, and eventually self-service CarePod kiosks. In November 2024 the company shut down its clinics and CarePods with little warning, leaving members scrambling for care continuity and, in some cases, for access to their own records. It is one of the sharpest collapses in digital health, and a reminder to ask any membership clinic how you would get your records out before you join.
What are the best Forward Health alternatives?
For tech-forward primary care with staying power, the strongest options are: One Medical, which offers app-based booking, same-day appointments, and virtual care for a $99-a-year membership with insurance billed for visits; Carbon Health, which offers primary, urgent, and virtual care with no membership fee and most major insurance accepted; and Circle Medical, which runs video and in-person primary care in-network with 1,500+ insurance plans at an average of $35 a visit with insurance. For the self-quantifying angle that drew many to Forward, Function Health's $365-a-year membership covering 160+ lab tests comes closest to the data-rich experience.
How do you protect yourself as a patient now?
If you were a Forward member, request your complete medical records in writing immediately and keep copies. Whoever you choose next, ask two questions up front: how do I export my records, and what happens to my care if you close. And for the immediate question of whether a symptom needs attention, Pymander's free AI doctor consult is available right now. Emergencies bypass all of it: call 911. Pymander routes emergency red flags to 911, and its escalation logic is documented in its safety architecture working paper.
What a Pymander AI doctor consult looks like
Illustrative example, not a real member's messages.
Common questions
Did Forward Health shut down?
Yes. Forward Health closed its clinics and CarePods in November 2024, reported by Endpoints News, Fierce Healthcare, and Business Insider. CBS Chicago reported on patients left cut off from their medical records.
What are the best Forward Health alternatives?
For tech-forward primary care: One Medical ($99/year membership plus insurance), Carbon Health (no membership fee, most major insurance), and Circle Medical (1,500+ plans, visits averaging $35 with insurance). For the data-rich angle, Function Health ($365/year, 160+ lab tests).
How do I get my records from Forward?
Submit a written request for your complete medical records to the company's remaining contacts and your state's medical board if you get no response. State law generally requires records to remain retrievable even after a practice closes; CBS Chicago documented patients fighting for exactly this.
What should I ask before joining another membership clinic?
Two questions: how do I export my complete records, and what is the continuity plan if the company closes. Forward's collapse is the case study for why both matter.
Is my health data safe when a startup closes?
Your records legally remain yours, but access can get messy in a shutdown, as Forward's closure showed. Keeping your own copies of labs, imaging, and medication lists is cheap insurance.
What if it is an emergency?
Skip the records question and call 911. Pymander is built to recognize emergency red flags in your text and direct you to call rather than continue.