Forum Health Champions Integrative Medicine as the Future of Healthcare

In today’s healthcare landscape, patients desire to have a more active role in their health and simultaneously, an emerging group of healthcare providers want to partner with patients, in a way that’s simply not possible in the conventional medical model.

With a healthcare company like Forum Health, integrative and functional medicine, next-generation technology and advanced diagnostic testing are at the center of their healthcare model. Through their provider’s personal experience with illness or just knowing there is more they could do for their patients, the providers at Forum Health are leading the way towards a more personalized medicine approach.

From functional medicine programs that include menopause, sexual health, longevity, weight loss, chronic illnesses such as Lyme disease, and more, Forum Health is a healthcare network always searching for the latest in technology, science, and treatments, without the bounds or politics of traditional healthcare.

CIO Bulletin had the opportunity to talk to Phil Hagerman, the chairman and CEO of Forum Health, about the innovative company.

Q. How was Forum Health born? How has the company grown since its inception?

Forum Health was born from the idea that healthcare is at its best when it’s a conversation — a forum — with passionate functional and integrative medicine experts determined to practice in a different way. We are answering the rising demand for personalized, root-cause medicine and anti-aging strategies in response to the gaps in conventional medicine.

Forum Health started in 2019 with three total clinics in Utah and Chicago and has been steadily increasing year-after-year to currently have 35 clinics in all major regions of the U.S. Our continued growth continues to prove the consumer demand for personalized, innovative, and transformative healthcare.

Q. How exactly does Forum Health focus on the root cause of its patients’ problems? What led to the company settling on it as the preferred methodology for diagnosis?

Our providers practice functional and integrative medicine, which means focusing on the root cause of symptoms by getting to know each patient and using advanced diagnostic testing to determine imbalances or issues, which conventional doctors often don’t offer. We believe that until you address the underlying issue, you cannot truly heal.

We consider all aspects of a patient’s life as possible contributors to the symptoms or disease they’re experiencing. This means examining physical symptoms in the body and mind, but also the life events they may be experiencing, their environment, lifestyle and genetics, along with a complete medical history.

Many of our providers come from a conventional medicine background — the model of treating the symptoms and each part of the body functioning independent of the rest. At Forum Health, we support and build the framework for our providers to offer the latest in personalized medicine to help the entire person heal, not just mask the symptoms. We’re committed to changing the healthcare paradigm from “sick care” to “well care.”

Q. How has Forum Health integrated innovation with its various personalized functional tests and treatments?

We offer our patients the most advanced treatments, therapies, and testing that may not be regularly available through a conventional medical doctor. We understand our patients are dealing with complex issues that likely have more than one contributing factor.

We offer the latest cutting-edge testing that goes beyond the surface-level testing of routine blood work and scans. This includes thermography scans, which are an effective alternative to mammogram scans and can detect changes in physiology based on thermal signatures. The DUTCH hormone test is a comprehensive urine sample test that offers invaluable insight into what is really happening with a patient’s hormones. The Thyroflex test measures reflex time to evaluate health and thyroid function. The Multifunction Cardiogram^™scan is the first early detection device for heart disease and other underlying cardiac issues. Cancer screenings such as the Galleri^® Multi-Cancer Early Detection test and the Research Genetics Cancer Center (RGCC) test, which both help individuals get a full picture of their cancer risk and health. [HS1]

Forum Health is also a leader in pioneering treatments for those individuals diagnosed with a chronic condition like Lyme disease, reactivated Epstein-Barr virus, or mold toxicity. We offer specialized testing, including Mycotox testing, to detect toxic substances produced by certain molds and fungi in an environment that is often an underlying contributor to inflammatory issues in the body and may lead to autoimmune dysfunction and other diseases. We are also excited to offer Supportive Oligonucleotide Therapy (SOT) as an effective, personalized conjunctive treatment for viral infections, Lyme disease, and cancer.

Additionally, we offer treatment options tailored to each patient’s specific needs. From medical weight loss programs to sexual rejuvenation and recovering from chronic disease symptoms — our clinics are equipped with the tools to personalize care for each patient.

Q. What role do you feel innovation will play in the future of Forum Health?

Technology and innovation are at the heart of everything we do, and we will continue pushing to be on the leading edge of personalized medicine. Aside from offering the latest in diagnostic testing and treatments, it is our mission to advance the integrative medicine industry and the movement towards well care and prevention versus the current sick care model. Further, by investing in and educating patients, we are able to become true partners in their health.

We have our own EMR system, Power2Practice, which allows us to examine patient data to prove our methods work and enables us to collaborate with our specialists.

We also host a yearly summit where the top leaders in functional and integrative medicine gather with our providers to exchange information and learn about new industry innovations. We look forward to continuing to host these summits and being recognized as an industry leader.

Q. What are Forum Health’s plans for the future?

Forum Health plans to continue expanding, projecting 40 clinics by the end of 2023 and more than 60 clinics in 2024.

Within our clinics, focusing on the quality of services we provide and creating an exceptional patient experience, our patients get the most comprehensive care no matter their health concern. This includes hiring the top providers, equipping them with the latest diagnostic tools, and enabling collaboration across specialties to optimize our patient’s experience.

We are driving a paradigm shift through the principles of integrative and functional medicine, adding ‘health’ and ‘care’ back into healthcare.

Q. Would you like us to highlight something important happening in your company?

In 2023, Forum Health made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America — the first time an integrative and functional network made the list. With less than five years in business, this is a huge achievement and shows that we are responding to the demand for quality, patient-centered healthcare and that the traditional medicine model is no longer the only mainstream option.

Forum Health made the Inc. 5000 after a three-year revenue growth of 327% and the expectation to more than double in 2023 through the acquisition and opening of new clinics and organic growth from new and expanding treatments and services

We plan to continue using this momentum and recognition to lead the functional and integrative medicine industry forward.

A brief biography of the chairman and CEO

Phil Hagerman is currently the chairman and CEO of Forum Health. He is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, pharmacist, and former CEO and chairman of Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc.

He is co-founder of the Hagerman Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to philanthropic efforts across Michigan in the areas of family, community, and education. He also founded SkyPoint Ventures investment firm and is a founding partner in Comeback Capital a Midwest VC company focused on emerging markets.