# Patrick Cline

> Patrick Cline is the founder and CEO of Lightbeam Health Solutions and the founder and former president of NextGen. A software developer from 1980, he retired from NextGen in 2011 and began developing Lightbeam within months. He also serves as an executive coach, board member, and member of Consonance Capital Partners’ Operating Council.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Lightbeam Health Solutions
- **Organizations:** Lightbeam Health Solutions, NextGen Healthcare, Quality Systems, Consonance Capital Partners, Conversio Health, ReferralPoint
- **Education:** Certificate - Business Strategy: Achieving Competitive Advantage, Cornell University
- **Known for:** Founded NextGen and continued as president following its sale to Quality Systems., Founded Lightbeam in 2012 following his 2011 retirement., Led Lightbeam during seven Inc. 5000 appearances through 2025.

## Career timeline

- **1980** — Began his career as a software developer.
- **1994** — Founded the business identified in his official biographies as NextGen Healthcare.
- **2011** — Retired from NextGen; began developing Lightbeam within months.
- **2012** — Founded Lightbeam Health Solutions; earned John Maxwell Team coach, speaker, and trainer certification.
- **2013** — Completed Gallup strengths coach training.
- **2014** — Lightbeam made its HIMSS debut; Glen Tullman and Lee Shapiro invested in December.
- **2018** — Lightbeam entered the Inc. 5000 at No. 1,260 with reported three-year sales growth of 385%.
- **2025** — Lightbeam made its seventh listed Inc. 5000 appearance and announced its acquisition of Syntax Health.
- **2026** — Lightbeam appointed Ben Stilwill president in January; its announcement identified Cline as CEO.

## Achievements

- Founded NextGen and continued as president following its sale to Quality Systems.
- Founded Lightbeam in 2012 following his 2011 retirement.
- Led Lightbeam during seven Inc. 5000 appearances through 2025.
- Member of Consonance Capital Partners’ Operating Council.
- Certified executive coach, speaker, and trainer.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Lightbeam appointed Ben Stilwill president on January 21; Cline remained identified as CEO.
- **2025-12** — Lightbeam announced the acquisition of Syntax Health on December 4.

## Links

- Website: https://lightbeamhealth.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patcline

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/patrick-cline
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20