ABCO

The Advisory Board Company

A healthcare research and consulting firm that studies what works in hospitals and health systems, turning those findings into best-practice guidance and software tools that hospital executives use to improve care and cut costs. It was founded in 1979 by David Bradley as a small research operation in Washington, DC, and its name came from the idea of a trusted advisory board for health leaders. A quirky detail: the firm grew famous less for what it sold than for how it sold it — its membership model and its hard-to-impress, research-heavy culture became something of a legend in healthcare circles.