Forward Deployed Engineers, in healthtech.
Senior engineers embedded in the codebases that run healthcare. They write production code, sit in your standups, own the integration surface, and ship against a measurable workflow outcome. Concierge, high-hour, US, EU, Asia.
Updated
Four things,
done seriously.
- 01
Write production code
Not advisors. Not deck builders. The same engineers who design the system are the ones merging the PRs. Your repo, your branch protections, your CI.
- 02
Sit in your standups
Embedded into the team that owns the workflow. Clinical product, ops, security, billing, whoever needs to be in the room. Synchronous when it matters, async by default.
- 03
Own the integration surface
FHIR R4, HL7v2, Bulk FHIR, X12 EDI, vendor APIs. The boring middle of healthcare where most platforms die. We do that work directly.
- 04
Ship to a measured outcome
Encounter cycle, prior auth time to decision, RPM alert noise, claims throughput. We pick the number with you on day one and run against it.
The integration surface, where healthtech actually lives.
FDEs are senior generalists by background, with deep healthtech surface area. The list below is where we have repeatedly delivered. When the work narrows to a single shape, our AI healthcare solutions and healthcare data solutions practices carry the same engineers, scoped tighter.
Epic, Oracle Cerner, Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, NextGen, AdvancedMD, Healthie
FHIR + EHR interop
Bidirectional sync, conflict resolution at the resource level, Bulk FHIR pipelines, HL7v2 listeners, X12 for payer rails. We have shipped greenfield platforms and brownfield wedges against all of these.
Multi-agent workflows under clinician oversight
Agentic systems in production
Tool use, evals, guardrails, abstention, audit logs. MCP integrations into EHR, lab, imaging, RPM. Safety architecture that survives a real adversary, not a prompt-hardened demo.
Twenty-year monoliths to agent-native rails
Brownfield migrations
Agent overlays on the legacy footprint, parity tests, canaries, shadow runs. Customers keep their platform, gain the modern surface. No replatform required.
Blank repo to production
Greenfield platforms
Scaffold the repo, set up the CI/CD, ship the first vertical slice, harden the infra. The rigor your auditors expect, at the pace a startup needs.
Claims, eligibility, prior auth, denial routing
RCM and clinical workflow automation
Agent-friendly integration layers on top of the system you already run. Reliability and observability across the entire revenue cycle.
Modules the customer owns
Service-as-software modules
Recurring service lines turned into shippable software you keep at the end of the engagement. Not a perpetual license, your code.
Four shapes,
by what you need.
- 01
Two week fixed sprint
Architecture read
Senior engineers go deep on a specific workflow or platform decision. Output is a written architecture document, a risk register, and a recommended team shape. No long-term commitment.
- 02
Quarterly retainer, one to three engineers
Embedded pod
Concierge availability inside your team, with a named tech lead. Standard retainer cadence is quarter to quarter, with most engagements rolling 12+ months.
- 03
Fractional or full-time tech lead
Build leadership
When you need a senior owner on a specific platform decision or buildout. We bring the pod or we plug into yours.
- 04
AI and platform diligence for investors and operators
Diligence
Vendor diligence, model selection, build-versus-buy reads, production-readiness audits. Honest reads on what is actually shippable.
Read the deep dive on the senior who does both: The fractional, forward deployed CTO →
The work, not the slideware.
Selected case studies from recent embedded pods. None of this is a pilot, all of it is in production and measured.
What clients actually ask us.
- 01
What is a Forward Deployed Engineer?
A senior engineer embedded inside your team, writing production code in your repo, sitting in your standups, and owning a measurable outcome alongside your clinical and product leads. Not a contractor body shop, not an advisor, not a research role.
- 02
How is this different from a traditional consulting firm?
Three things. Seniority: every FDE has shipped production systems in healthcare before, no juniors on the project. Concurrency: small pods, never a fifty person engagement. Ownership: we measure against the workflow number you care about, not hours billed.
- 03
Do FDEs work onsite, remote, or hybrid?
We default to remote with onsite time scheduled around the work. Embedded in US, EU, and Asia teams under follow-the-sun coverage when the engagement needs it.
- 04
What does an FDE engagement cost?
Most engagements run as a quarterly retainer. Quarterly retainers typically start in the six figures, depending on team size and engagement length. Pod size, seniority mix, and on-call expectations drive the rate. Full rate card and SOW shape are shared after the first call.
- 05
Are FDEs HIPAA capable and willing to sign a BAA?
Yes. We work inside customer infrastructure under BAA, ship to HIPAA-aligned architectures, and only use BAA-covered vendors. Audit logs, segregated PHI, access controls are table stakes.
- 06
How fast can an FDE start?
Two to four weeks from signed SOW to first commit on most engagements. Concierge availability varies by quarter, so earlier conversations help.
Two senior engineers, thirty minutes.
Tell us the workflow you are trying to move, the systems it touches, and when you would want it in production. We come prepared.