National Research Corporation
American healthcare research and technology company operating as NRC Health.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
National Research Corporation, commonly operating under the NRC Health name, is an American healthcare research and technology company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Established in 1981, the company developed around the measurement of healthcare performance and the use of research-based insights to help providers understand patients, residents, families, consumers, employees, and clinicians. Its business serves healthcare organizations rather than general consumers, with products structured largely as research programs, analytics tools, software-enabled services, and subscription-based solutions. The company’s scope broadened considerably through acquisitions. In the late 1990s it expanded its patient-experience capabilities by acquiring Healthcare Research Systems, Inc. In 2001, it purchased the healthcare survey business of the Picker Institute, strengthening its presence in patient-centered research. A Canadian expansion followed in 2003 through the acquisition of Smaller World Communications. National Research Corporation subsequently added capabilities in health-risk assessment, healthcare governance, long-term-care quality measurement, home health, hospice, clinical outcomes, and digital physician-rating tools. These transactions helped move the company beyond a narrow performance-measurement role toward a broader healthcare intelligence platform. Its portfolio has included patient and family experience measurement, resident and family experience programs, employee and physician engagement studies, market research, healthcare analytics, clinical and outcomes analytics, health-risk assessments, patient outreach, and survey programs associated with the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems framework. Its CAHPS-related work has covered hospital, clinician, home-health, nursing-home, pediatric, and international hospital survey applications. The company has also been associated with healthcare recognition programs, including the Consumer Choice Award, the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award, and Excellence in Action, which use performance and satisfaction information in recognizing healthcare organizations. National Research Corporation entered the home-health survey market as a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-approved HHCAHPS vendor in 2010. Modern Healthcare identified the company as the largest patient-satisfaction measurement firm in the United States in both 2012 and 2013. In 2016, it adopted the NRC Health brand, signaling a positioning centered on human-centered care, consumer understanding, and integrated experience management rather than research measurement alone. NRC Health provides services in the United States and Canada. Public reference material describes it as an active company, but does not establish a current parent company, controlling owner, public listing, ticker, or current executive roster. On February 11, 2020, the company experienced a cyberattack that temporarily disrupted operations and prompted concerns about the protection of patient information held on behalf of healthcare clients. The available reference does not establish that the incident caused a confirmed public disclosure of patient data.
History
National Research Corporation was established in 1981 with a focus on performance measurement tools and research insights for the healthcare industry. Its early orientation was toward helping healthcare organizations evaluate how they performed and how their services were experienced by patients and other stakeholders. The company expanded its patient-experience research capabilities during the 1990s. The Picker Institute was founded in 1994, and development of the Qualisys technology began the following year. In 1998, National Research Corporation acquired Healthcare Research Systems, Inc., adding to its healthcare research and patient-experience measurement activities. In 2001, it acquired the Picker Institute’s healthcare survey business. That transaction strengthened the company’s role in patient-centered research and broadened the survey resources available to healthcare providers. Expansion continued geographically and functionally. In 2003, National Research Corporation acquired Smaller World Communications, a Canadian company, supporting its presence beyond the United States. In 2005, it entered the health-risk-assessment sector through the acquisition of Geriatric Health Systems LLC. The following year, it acquired TGI Group LLC. That transaction led to the creation of The Governance Institute, which became a source of education, research, and resources concerning healthcare governance. The company added further specialization in long-term care and post-acute services in 2009, when it acquired My InnerView. My InnerView was known for surveys addressing quality and satisfaction in long-term care. In 2010, National Research Corporation acquired OCS HomeCare, adding clinical and outcomes analytics for home-health and hospice organizations. These acquisitions extended the company’s reach from hospital and general patient-experience measurement into senior care, home care, hospice, and outcomes-focused services. In 2010, the company was approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as a vendor for the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey program. This placed its home-health survey work within an important federally administered measurement framework. In 2012 and 2013, Modern Healthcare identified National Research Corporation as the largest patient-satisfaction measurement firm in the United States. Digital experience and transparency became another area of expansion in 2014, when the company acquired Digital Assent. The platform was described as enabling healthcare organizations to publish physician star ratings based on patient-experience data. The acquisition connected research and measurement capabilities with a public-facing digital application for communicating provider performance. In 2016, National Research Corporation rebranded as NRC Health. The new identity reflected a broader emphasis on human-centered care and consumer insights. Under that brand, the company’s portfolio has been described as encompassing patient and family experience, resident and family experience, employee engagement, physician engagement, CAHPS programs, market insights, healthcare analytics, clinical and outcomes analytics, health-risk assessments, outreach, integrated solutions, and educational institutes. On February 11, 2020, NRC Health experienced a cyberattack that temporarily shut down operations. The event raised questions about the protection of patient data handled on behalf of healthcare clients, although the available reference does not establish a confirmed public disclosure of such data. NRC Health remains described as an active healthcare company serving organizations in the United States and Canada.
- 2020
Cyberattack disrupts operations
[1]A cyberattack temporarily shuts down company operations and creates concerns about information security.
- 2016
Rebrand to NRC Health
[1]National Research Corporation adopts the NRC Health identity to emphasize human-centered care and consumer insights.
- 2014
Digital Assent acquisition
[1]The company acquires a digital platform that enabled healthcare organizations to publish physician star ratings based on patient-experience data.
- 2010
OCS HomeCare acquisition and CMS approval
[1]National Research Corporation acquires OCS HomeCare and is approved as a CMS vendor for the HHCAHPS survey program.
- 2009
My InnerView acquisition
[1]The acquisition adds long-term-care quality and satisfaction survey capabilities.
- 2006
The Governance Institute is created
[1]Following the acquisition of TGI Group LLC, the company creates The Governance Institute for healthcare governance education and research.
- 2005
Entry into health-risk assessment
[1]National Research Corporation acquires Geriatric Health Systems LLC and adds health-risk assessment capabilities.
- 2003
Canadian expansion through Smaller World Communications
[1]The acquisition of Smaller World Communications expands the company’s activities into Canada.
- 2001
Picker Institute healthcare survey business acquired
[1]The company acquires the Picker Institute’s healthcare survey business and strengthens its patient-centered research presence.
- 1998
Healthcare Research Systems acquisition
[1]National Research Corporation acquires Healthcare Research Systems, expanding its patient-experience measurement capabilities.
Products and positioning
A healthcare intelligence and experience-management provider focused on human-centered care, patient and resident feedback, consumer insights, engagement measurement, and analytics for healthcare organizations.
Patient experience measurement
Patient and Family Experience
Research and measurement programs designed to help healthcare organizations understand the experiences of patients and their families. The offering sits within NRC Health’s broader human-centered-care approach and can support feedback analysis, service improvement, benchmarking, and organizational decision-making.
Long-term-care experience measurement · 2009
Resident and Family Experience
Experience and satisfaction measurement for senior living, long-term-care, and related organizations. The category was reinforced by the company’s acquisition of My InnerView and addresses the perspectives of residents, families, and care providers.
Healthcare survey services
CAHPS survey programs
Survey services associated with the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems framework. The portfolio has included HCAHPS, CGCAHPS, HHCAHPS, NHCAHPS, Pediatric HCAHPS, and ICHCAHPS applications for measuring patient and consumer views of healthcare providers and settings.
Healthcare analytics
Healthcare Analytics
Analytics and market-insight services intended to convert healthcare experience, consumer, and operational information into findings for provider organizations. The category is part of NRC Health’s broader subscription-based and research-enabled solutions portfolio.
Clinical analytics · 2010
Clinical and Outcomes Analytics
Clinical and outcomes-focused analytics for healthcare organizations, including capabilities expanded through the acquisition of OCS HomeCare. The services address home-health and hospice contexts as well as broader efforts to connect care processes with outcomes.
Risk assessment · 2005
Health Risk Assessments
Health-risk assessment services added through the acquisition of Geriatric Health Systems LLC. The offering extends NRC Health’s research and measurement work into structured assessment of health-related risks and needs.
Healthcare governance education · 2006
The Governance Institute
A healthcare governance education and research resource created after the acquisition of TGI Group LLC. It provides governance-oriented information and programming for healthcare leadership and boards.
Digital healthcare transparency · 2014
Physician Star Ratings platform
A digital platform obtained through the acquisition of Digital Assent that enabled healthcare organizations to publish physician star ratings derived from patient-experience data. It connected survey findings with a consumer-facing method of communicating provider performance.
Brand decisions
2016
Adoption of the NRC Health brandStrategyBackground
National Research Corporation had expanded from healthcare performance measurement into patient experience, consumer insights, analytics, governance, long-term care, and post-acute services.
Action taken
The company rebranded as NRC Health, presenting a broader identity centered on human-centered care and consumer understanding.
Aftermath
The NRC Health name became the company’s operating brand for its expanded healthcare research, experience, and analytics portfolio.
2014
Acquisition of Digital AssentM&ABackground
Healthcare organizations were increasingly using patient-experience information in communicating provider quality and performance.
Action taken
National Research Corporation acquired Digital Assent, whose platform enabled publication of physician star ratings based on patient-experience data.
Aftermath
The acquisition added a digital publication and transparency capability to the company’s research and measurement portfolio.
2010
Entry into CMS-approved HHCAHPS surveyingStrategyBackground
Home-health providers required structured measurement of consumer experience under the federal CAHPS framework.
Action taken
National Research Corporation was approved by CMS as a vendor for the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems program.
Aftermath
The approval established the company as a recognized provider of federally aligned home-health experience surveying.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/national-research-corporation · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled