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Technological medical advancements have shifted an array of procedures previously rendered in inpatient hospitals to ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). For example, same-day procedures (e.g., cataracts surgery) that do not require an overnight hospital stay and musculoskeletal procedures, such as arthroscopy, are commonly performed at ASCs.  Because they operate independently of brick-a...

Cardiac rehabilitation is a program to help patients with heart events recover and return to normal activities. It is recommended following acute heart events and as a component of addressing chronic heart failure. Despite recommendations from federal agencies, advocacy groups, and national health associations and the documented benefits of cardiac rehabilitation, only 20-30% of people who could b...

10 FAQs about Employer-based Health Plans Recent data from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) show that price growth accounted for more than half the change in per person health care spending from 2017 to 2021. Nearly half of people in the US get health insurance through work, either through their own employer or as a dependent. Accordingly, rising health care spending is a big problem for empl...

The CDC defines Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) as 'unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in significant short- or long-term consequences to a woman's health.' These outcomes are largely preventable and are an important indicator of maternal health care quality. The CDC reports that SMM has steadily increased in recent years, and the consequences are wide-ranging, including detrime...

Health care spending continues to grow, and prices are the primary driver. Without addressing high and growing prices, efforts to make care more affordable will not be successful. One way to understand what is going on with prices in employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) is to compare negotiated rates paid in that market to Medicare payments for the same services. New analysis from the Heal...

The World Health Organization reported that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. Mental health crises following months and years of social isolation and other effects of the pandemic have renewed national interest in mental health care access. Understanding how mental health services, including medications used to treat m...

Building on existing work on telehealth use early in the COVID-19 pandemic among people who get health insurance through work, HCCI examined the use of telehealth services by year through 2021. We examined patterns of telehealth use by modality (synchronous or asynchronous) and state, as well as select measures of area (zip or county)-level social determinants of health as reported in AHRQ's Socia...

The emergency room (ER) is a critical and life-saving source of care for many Americans, but the resulting medical bills that patients receive can be a source of confusion and extreme financial burden. From incredibly high, varying prices 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 ER services. Poli...

Ambulance services play an essential, life-saving role in the health care system but can also be a source of surprise bills to patients and unexpected high out-of-pocket costs. This HCCI data brief and downloadable data explores the 10-year trends in ambulance prices, utilization, spending, and the frequency of out-of-network billing for the commercially insured - people who get their health ...

Important research is underway to understand the impacts of Long COVID. Studies about the clinical pathways, patient-specific needs, and treatment for Long COVID are highlighting necessary medical care and intervention. To inform public and private decisionmakers' efforts to support and treat patients, this study uses HCCI's unique health care claims dataset to identify the effects of Long CO...

Uterine fibroids can affect up to 80% of women by age 50. Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women of reproductive age. Together, they are two of the leading conditions among reproductive-aged women causing infertility, chronic pelvic pain, fatigue, nausea, and heavy menstruation. Symptoms of uterine fibroids and endometriosis are also associated with abdominal pelvic pain, heavy and painful menst...

Reproductive and sexual health services play an important role in daily life and wellbeing for many people. These services include preventive services (such as screenings for sexually transmitted infections and reproductive cancers), contraceptive services, and services relating to pregnancy and childbirth. The objective of this report is to provide national and state data on the use of reproducti...

Asthma is the most common chronic condition among children in the U.S. and one of the leading reasons for pediatric emergency room (ER) visits. Schools play an important role in managing asthma among children since kids spend most of their time in school and school buildings may have environmental factors such as poor air quality and mold which can trigger asthma flare-ups. When asthma is uncontro...

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in the use of telehealth services and online asynchronous health communication, commonly referred to as emails. These tools allow patients to ask their physicians and other clinicians questions regarding medication changes, symptoms, and to check in regarding management of chronic conditions. In March 2020, CMS expanded Medicare telehealth billing to includ...

Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) provide critical, often life-saving, care to over 300,000 infants every year. The specialized care and technology available in NICUs have allowed preterm and otherwise vulnerable babies to survive and thrive even in the face of a host of potentially life-threatening complications and are recognized as contributing to the decline in infant mortality over the pa...

Asthma is the most common chronic condition among children in the U.S. and one of the leading reasons for pediatric emergency room (ER) visits. Schools play an important role in managing asthma among children since kids spend most of their time in school and school buildings may have environmental factors such as poor air quality and mold which can trigger asthma flar...

In June, HCCI staff attended AcademyHealth's Annual Research Meeting (ARM) and ASHEcon. In addition to connecting with other health services researchers, staff presented original research using HCCI's commercial claims dataset. Here's a sampling of HCCI staff presentations:  ASHEcon: Effect of Critical Access Hospital Designation on Inpatient Prices in Employer-Sponsored Insurance Presen...

Ozempic, a relatively new anti-diabetes drug, has been in the headlines because of widespread shortages that are making it difficult for patients who use the drug to manage diabetes to access it. Some news articles suggest that off-label use for weight loss has been a factor associated with increased demand. The active ingredient in Ozempic is semaglutide, which helps regulate insulin product...

In HCCI's most recent Health Care Cost and Utilization Report, we observed substantial growth in spending on vaccines among individuals with employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI), which we attributed largely to uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations in 2021. Although they may be largely responsible for this trend, federal procurement complicates analyses of COVID-19 vaccines using claims data. Resear...

In this brief, we explain the basics of "facility fees," which have been gaining attention at the state and federal levels. We discuss what a facility fee is, why patients might receive a bill for a facility fee for non-hospital services, why there is controversy around these bills, and what policymakers are doing to address them. Download and read the brief below. As described in the br...

Cancer diagnoses can have devastating psychological and financial tolls on patients and their families. Previous research shows that Medicare beneficiaries who are newly diagnosed with cancer experience health care costs that can reach close to a quarter of household income in the year following diagnosis. People with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) may experience even greater financial burden ...

Recent policy and other initiatives aim to reduce spending on prescription drugs. At the federal level, the Inflation Reduction Act targets reductions in drug spending in Medicare through price negotiation, capping out-of-pocket spending by patients, and requiring drug manufacturers to pay rebates when prices rise faster than inflation. At the state level, there are initiatives to increase drug pr...

Evaluation and Management (E&M) services provide an entry point for many people into the health care system. This category of services includes most office visits to a primary care physician or specialist, including behavioral health services, as well evaluation and management services provided in an emergency room or outpatient setting. These visits typically involve a physician or other heal...

According to HCCI's data, the price of a hospital admission for childbirth among birthing people with employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) varies by a factor of three across hospitals within a local area. Even within the same hospital and within the same type of delivery, some births cost twice as much as others. Different prices for the same service in the same hospital with the same type of...

Total Spending Averaged $24,336 across the Prenatal, Childbirth, and Postpartum Periods among ESI Enrollees HCCI has highlighted the high cost of childbirth in the United States, but delivery is only one component of the full financial cost of having a baby. The cost of prenatal and postpartum care may cause people to forgo appropriate services, even as this care could help improve maternal health...