Transparency
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HCCI Research Finds The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act Targets Substantial Portion of Administered Drug Spending
Read more: HCCI Research Finds The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act Targets Substantial Portion of Administered Drug SpendingThe Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R. 5378) currently before Congress aims to increase price transparency in health care and address the high cost of prescription drugs. One of the provisions of the bill would change the way Medicare pays for physician administered drugs. Currently, Medicare pays a higher price for drugs that are administered…
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Daily Deaths During Coronavirus Pandemic by State
Read more: Daily Deaths During Coronavirus Pandemic by StateThe staggering death toll of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the United States has been widely reported, surpassing 523,000 as of March 8, 2021. Over the course of the current pandemic a common method for measuring the probable number of deaths caused by COVID-19 has been comparing actual deaths in 2020 to the expected number…
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Years of Life Lost
Read more: The Impact of COVID-19 on Years of Life LostSummary: Since April, 1.9 million excess years of life have been lost, 13% above historical average. Over the course of the pandemic, we found age and sex contributions to excess YLL have shifted. Deaths among adults 65 and older accounted for 80% of excess YLL in April but only 36% of excess YLL in June. Since…
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Analysis of Electronic Medical Record Data Shows Significantly Higher Rates of COVID-19 Infection among Hispanic and Black Patients
Read more: Analysis of Electronic Medical Record Data Shows Significantly Higher Rates of COVID-19 Infection among Hispanic and Black PatientsThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a previously unimaginable impact both in the United States and globally. It is increasingly clear as we enter the fifth month of the pandemic, with rising caseloads and deaths, that the United States will need to continue to address the COVID-19 pandemic for the foreseeable future. Each day, we learn…
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What if Price Transparency Reduced Commercial Price Variation?
Read more: What if Price Transparency Reduced Commercial Price Variation?As previous reports have indicated, there is widespread price variation in the U.S. commercial health care system. Many studies have shown that prices are dramatically different not only across geographies, but they vary substantially even within the same market for the same service. For example, we found that prices for the same blood tests could…
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ER spending increased 85%, driven by price increases for the most severe cases (2009-2015)
Read more: ER spending increased 85%, driven by price increases for the most severe cases (2009-2015)Medical bills from the Emergency Room (ER) are a mystery to many patients in the US health system. From incredibly high, varying charges to surprise bills resulting from in/out of network confusion, many Americans have no idea what to expect when it comes to the cost of this necessary service. Recently, Vox reporter, Sarah Kliff,…
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Necessary versus Sufficient Claims Data
Read more: Necessary versus Sufficient Claims DataThis data brief compares membership characteristics and health care service prices in non-ERISA and ERISA populations. The results suggest that non-ERISA data may be sufficient for policy relevant analyses, even when ERISA data is not available.
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Spending on Shoppable Services in Health Care
Read more: Spending on Shoppable Services in Health CareThis issue brief examines health care spending on shoppable services in 2011. Contrary to expectations, giving consumers prices so they can shop for health care services may only have a modest effect on reducing health spending. Key Findings: In 2011, about 43% of the $524.2 billion spent on health care services for commercially insured people…
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American Journal of Managed Care: Overcoming barriers to a research-ready national commercial claims database
Read more: American Journal of Managed Care: Overcoming barriers to a research-ready national commercial claims databaseABSTRACT Objectives: Billions of dollars have been spent on the goal of making healthcare data available to clinicians and researchers in the hopes of improving healthcare and lowering costs. However, the problems of data governance, distribution, and accessibility remain challenges for the healthcare system to overcome. Study Design: In this study, we discuss some of the…