Patients at a Chicago location of San Francisco-based Forward are unable to access medical records after the healthcare startup, known for its AI-driven "doctor-in-a-box" service, announced its closure on Nov. 12, CBS News reported Nov. 19.
Cathy Link, a patient with Forward, told CBS that her requests for her records have been "ignored."
"It's been silence from them. I haven't heard anything back," she said in the broadcast. "Their numbers are all disconnected."
Forward's founder, Adrian Aoun, a former Google executive, told CBS that Forward would be "providing instructions after Dec. 13" as to how patients can access their medical records. This contradicted what the company originally communicated in their closure announcement, posted to their website Nov. 12.
"We know this news is abrupt, so we are committed to helping you navigate your care transition in the days to come," the statement on Forward's website reads. "Starting today you will no longer have access to the Forward app, but our medical team is available at clinical@goforward.com to support your care until Dec. 13, 2024."
The shutdown comes a year after Forward raised $100 million in a series E funding round. Founded in 2017, Forward initially positioned itself as a primary care concierge medicine service. However, it later shifted to offering "CarePods" — self-service health stations where patients could perform tasks like taking their own blood samples, sequencing DNA and testing for illnesses like COVID-19, all without interacting with a healthcare provider.
The founder also told CBS that they are working through support requests "as quickly as possible."
According to a statement from the state of Illinois shared with CBS, medical practices are supposed to give at least 30 days notice prior to closure and provide instruction as to how to access patients' medical records.
Forward did not immediately respond to Becker's request for comment. This story will be updated if more information becomes available.