FAIR Health now delivers the industry’s primary source of out-of-network benchmarks with unprecedented transparency

“What was referred to as a “black box” in February 2008 today has become an open window to the healthcare marketplace. The industry’s privately owned database of usual-and-customary (UC) charge information is now a transparent, public information source called FAIR Health.”

http://managedhealthcareexecutive.modernmedicine.com/mhe/Executive+Profile/Window-to-the-marketplace/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/747558?contextCategoryId=47227

Data sources

“Currently, FAIR has approximately 80 different data sources nationwide, collectively contributing claims data for 125 million covered lives. Data is deidentified as to the payer source and the individual member’s identity. By aggregating claims in this way, FAIR can meet HIPAA requirements and discourage the use of information for competitive advantages among participating payers.

Gelburd says the required fields that FAIR collects from the claims data supplied by contributors include CPT codes, standard charges, date and location of service. Additional fields include ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, provider identifiers and negotiated, in-network charges. The optional fields are particularly useful from a research perspective.”

I would welcome comments from anyone who has used this data.

Randy