Qualtrics buys Press Ganey Forsta in AI data play

Qualtrics has acquired healthcare experience group Press Ganey Forsta for US$6.75 billion, coming just a day after Publicis Groupe’s US$2.2 billion LiveRamp deal as companies race to build the infrastructure layer for AI.

The deal combines Qualtrics’ Experience Management platform with Press Ganey Forsta’s healthcare experience and patient feedback systems, used across more than 41,000 healthcare facilities globally.

Qualtrics said the acquisition creates the “world’s largest proprietary human Experience Management AI and data platform”. It also said the acquisition is the largest technology deal in Utah history.

The deal follows Publicis Groupe’s agreement to acquire LiveRamp, a move positioned around data co-creation, identity, clean rooms and the development of smarter AI agents for clients. The two deals point to a sharp escalation in the market for proprietary data, customer context and AI-ready experience infrastructure.

SEE MORE: Publicis buys LiveRamp in US$2.2b bet on data and agentic marketing

For Qualtrics, Press Ganey Forsta brings decades of healthcare-specific data, regulatory systems and patient voice insights into its XM platform. The company said the combined business will help healthcare providers and payers anticipate patient needs, simulate outcomes, predict behaviours and orchestrate more personalised experiences.

“AI permanently changed what people expect from every experience in their lives,” Jason Maynard, Qualtrics CEO, said.

“In the age of AI, experience is now the differentiator in every industry, and for the first time ever that problem can be solved in healthcare. The rich data and context intelligence we are building raises the standard for what experience management can do across every industry we serve.”

The acquisition also pushes Qualtrics deeper into healthcare, a sector where customer experience is increasingly being compared with consumer-grade digital, hospitality, travel and retail interactions.

Qualtrics said patients now enter healthcare systems more informed, researched and demanding, with AI tools changing what people expect from organisations in real time.

David Entwistle, president and CEO of Stanford Health Care, said the opportunity in healthcare was not simply more data or more AI, but the ability to turn insight into action.

“The opportunity ahead for healthcare is not simply more data or more AI, it is the ability to turn insight into timely, human-centered action,” Entwistle said.

“As the industry evolves, organisations that succeed will be those that pair proven technology with deep expertise in patient and care team experience to drive meaningful improvements in care delivery, trust, and outcomes.”