Understanding heart failure progression: New insights from machine learning applied to high-risk patients
Congestive heart failure (CHF) remains one of the world’s most stubborn health challenges, and even when clinicians use established tools like the Framingham CHF risk score to flag patients at high risk, the story doesn’t end there. Some people who look clinically similar go on to develop CHF within just a few years, while others remain stable.
What explains the difference, and what can health systems do with that insight?
In this Peek Behind the Poster, Mike Sicilia and Wouter van der Pluijm of Forian discuss their research presented at ISPOR 2026, where they use real-world data and supervised machine learning to investigate the within-group variation that traditional risk scores don’t capture.
Interviewees
Michael Sicilia
Senior RWE Data Scientist, Forian
Michael Sicilia is a Senior RWE Data Scientist at Forian, where he designs and conducts real-world evidence studies. Prior to joining Forian in 2024, Michael was at EVERSANA where he implemented complex outcome, economic, burden-of-illness, and machine learning analyses on rare disease patient populations. In total, he has over 5 years of experience in the real-world data and evidence space and holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
Wouter van der Pluijm
Vice President of Market Insights & Solutions, Forian
As the Vice President of Market Insights & Solutions, Wouter works extensively with Forian’s real-world data ecosystem. His responsibilities range from identifying and integrating new data sources to scoping and delivering analytic and evidentiary solutions to Forian clients. Wouter has worked in the real-world data space for over a decade, having roles in sales enablement, integrated solution design, as well as forecasting and evidence generation. Combined with his experience as an epidemiologist, Wouter brings a balance of both clinical and commercial experience in supporting Forian’s clients across the Life Science and Healthcare landscape. Prior to joining Forian, Wouter spent 7 years at DRG/Clarivate and worked at the local public health level as an Epidemiologist. He holds an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan.
Disclaimers
The opinions expressed in this feature are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Evidence Base® or Becaris Publishing Ltd.
Sponsorship for this Peek Behind the Poster was provided by Forian.