As the No Surprises Act took full effect, the number of in-network claims processes grew notably, according to a new analysis from FAIR Health.
The study (PDF) compared claims in first quarter of 2019 to those in the third quarter of 2023, and found a rise in in-network utilization in all professional settings. In-network services as percentage of all claims lines grew from 84.1% to 90% during that window.
The FAIR analysts found that the increase did vary regionally. In the Northeast, they saw an increase of 4.8% and in Midwest and South an increase of 8.3%.
"The findings in this report have implications for stakeholders across the healthcare spectrum, including payers, providers, policymakers and patients," said FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd in a press release. "We hope that these findings will also be starting points for further research on in-network and out-of-network utilization and pricing against the backdrop of federal and state surprise billing laws."
The study in particular digs into several services lines that are a frequent cause of surprise medical bills: anesthesia, emergency care, pathology and radiology. When the researchers homed in on these particular services, there was still an increase in in-network care, but at a lower rate.
The increase identified in the study across these particular specialties was 4.7% compared to 7% overall.
Of note, the study also found that in-network care utilization in anesthesiology, pathology and radiology in the South.
In addition to the overall trend toward more in-network utilization during the study window, the analysts also found a 2.3% increase in in-network services during the No Surprises Act rollout.