FAIR Health Launches Interactive Maps Showing State-by-State COVID-19 Hospitalization and Treatment Costs

NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today FAIR Health is launching a set of free, online, interactive maps displaying typical costs for COVID-19 treatment and hospitalization state by state across the nation. Part of FAIR Health's "States by the Numbers" series, the COVID-19 Medical and Hospitalization Costs by State tool shows average and median costs, both in-network and out-of-network, for three different COVID-19 treatment pathways:

• COVID-19 complex inpatient: This pathway captures the typical total costs for the most serious cases of COVID-19, in which a patient is admitted to the hospital and requires ventilation and/or admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Included are costs for a hospitalized patient who requires more complicated care, such as ICU costs, ventilator costs and costs for room and board of increased complexity.
• COVID-19 noncomplex inpatient: This pathway captures the typical total costs for a COVID-19 patient who is admitted to the hospital but does not require ventilation or admission to the ICU. Costs in this pathway include room and board, laboratory testing, imaging and intravenous therapies.
• COVID-19 outpatient: This pathway captures the typical total costs for a patient who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but does not require hospitalization. Costs might include laboratory testing and physician or urgent care visits.

For each pathway, the average and median charge amount and estimated allowed amount are given:

• Average: The value computed by dividing the sum of all the values by the number of values.
• Median: The midpoint of the distribution of values below and above which there is an equal number of values.
• Charge amount: The amount charged to a patient who is uninsured or obtaining an out-of-network service.
• Estimated allowed amount: The estimated total fee negotiated between an insurance plan and a provider for an in-network service. It includes both the portion to be paid by the plan member and the portion to be paid by the plan.

The new tool offers two views:

• State-by-state profiles: Click on a state in the map for a state-specific infographic displaying the average and median charge amount and estimated allowed amount for all three COVID-19 treatment pathways.
• National heat maps: Each of six heat maps shows the average and median costs for a single COVID-19 treatment pathway by state for either in-network or out-of-network values. Shading on the maps indicates ranges, with the darkest states those where the median total treatment costs are highest.

The tool uses data from the most recent release of FH^® Total Treatment Cost COVID-19 benchmarks. The benchmarks, in turn, are based on FAIR Health's vast repository of private healthcare claims, the largest such database in the nation. 

COVID-19 Medical and Hospitalization Costs by State are the latest addition to States by the Numbers, FAIR Health's series of geographic windows into healthcare data. Previous examples of States by the Numbers include the ongoing Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, which tracks telehealth utilization by region across the nation, and Opioid Abuse and Dependence: State-by-State, an interactive, geographic study of opioid abuse and dependence.

FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "FAIR Health is pleased to launch COVID-19 Medical and Hospitalization Costs by State as a public service to provide stakeholders with valuable insights into pandemic-related healthcare spending. We hope that the tool inspires further research and informs policy making and is otherwise put to practical use."

For COVID-19 Medical and Hospitalization Costs by State, click here.

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About FAIR Health
FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 35 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 2 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data products—including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indices—to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care—and How to Fix It and Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

Contact:
Rachel Kent
Senior Director of Marketing, Outreach and Communications
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
[email protected]

SOURCE FAIR Health