FAIR Health® Offers Researchers First-Time Access to Nation's Most Comprehensive, Independent Medical and Dental Claims Information

Academics, Policymakers Can Now Study 10-Years of Private Insurance Claims Data Across 500 Regions

FAIR Health® Offers Researchers First-Time Access to Nation's Most Comprehensive, Independent Medical and Dental Claims Information

FAIR Health, Inc.Ashley Smyth, 212-374-0704orBliss PR for FAIR Health, Inc.Julie Johnson, 619-888-8045

FAIR Health, the independent not-for-profit corporation dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and out-of-network reimbursement, has launched the FAIR Health Research Support Program, designed to provide academic researchers unprecedented access to its national healthcare claims database, the FAIR Health National Private Insurance Claims (FH NPIC) Database.

The FH NPIC Database currently includes more than 14 billion billed claims for medical and dental procedures performed since 2002 by healthcare providers nationwide. Data are submitted by more than 70 private payors participating in the organization’s data contribution program who collectively insure over 125 million covered lives, representing the most comprehensive private healthcare claims database available. Researchers will be able to license the FAIR Health data for research purposes. More information about the FH NPIC database and the Research Support Program generally is available at .

"By providing the research community with objective and transparent data on how Americans are seeking care and what it costs, we are making available an invaluable new tool for advancing the national conversation on healthcare." FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd said. "The FH NPIC data are an epidemiologic heat map of the country and provide a wealth of information about the healthcare system today. Researchers will now have unprecedented access to information on healthcare costs, how, when and where the cost-of-care varies, how privately insured Americans are utilizing healthcare, and how this utilization varies by region."

Two categories of datasets will be available to researchers initially – FH™ Benchmark Modules and FH NPIC Standard Analytic Files. The FH Benchmark Modules include aggregated provider charges for medical and dental procedures as well as allowed costs arrayed by percentile for each of approximately 500 geographic regions nationwide. The mean, median and mode charges are also supplied in most products.

The FH NPIC Standard Analytic Files contain the underlying claims data that are contributed to the FAIR Health database. All personally identifying patient information is removed prior to the release of data to researchers.

The FH NPIC database is expected to be accessed by researchers focusing on a variety of topics, including healthcare policy and economics, development of or adherence to clinical care protocols, public health and epidemiological trends, and medical education curricula design.

"We have already been contacted by researchers across the country, looking for access to this kind of comprehensive data," Gelburd said. "We expect the need for data to continue to grow as researchers realize the power of the information available to them through the FH NPIC Database and continue to ask important questions about the healthcare system."

FAIR Health is a national, independent, not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to bring transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through comprehensive data products, consumer resources and support of scientific and economic research on medical and dental care. FAIR Health uses its database of billions of billed medical and dental services to power a free website () that enables consumers to estimate and plan their medical and dental expenditures. The website also offers clear, unbiased educational articles and videos about the health insurance reimbursement system. In addition to its consumer offerings, FAIR Health licenses data products to businesses, governmental agencies, healthcare providers and researchers. With its professional staff of experts in healthcare, statistics, technology and communications, FAIR Health strives to offer accurate, consistent and timely information to all stakeholders in the healthcare system.