Sidecar Health Expands Quality Transparency for Members with New Clinical Ratings

LOS ANGELES, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sidecar Health, a pioneering consumer-driven health insurance carrier, today announced an enhancement to its member experience with the inclusion of clinical quality scores — deepening its long-standing commitment to empowering members with the information they need to make smarter healthcare decisions. The enhanced quality ratings are powered by data developed by Global Appropriateness Measures (GAM), a physician-led organization born out of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

This new feature builds on Sidecar Health's longstanding commitment to empowering consumers with upfront information about how much care costs — and the fact that higher prices often don't mean better quality. The score appears as a 0.00 to 5.00 rating alongside a provider's profile within the Sidecar Health portal. The scores complement the consumer reviews and cost information already available to Sidecar Health members.

"The idea that more expensive care is better care is a myth," said Patrick Quigley, CEO and Co-Founder of Sidecar Health. "People deserve more than vague star ratings or anonymous reviews when making an important decision like choosing a doctor. By integrating clinical quality data, we're able to showcase providers who are delivering appropriate care alongside information like cost and proximity, empowering our members to make more informed care decisions based on those data."

Unlike typical star ratings that reflect patient satisfaction, the GAM Care Quality Score is grounded in clinical appropriateness, long-term outcomes, and treatment effectiveness. These scores help answer a critical question: Is the care this provider delivers aligned with clinical best practices?

Sidecar Health conducted a comprehensive evaluation of available quality measures and selected GAM's methodology for its focus on evidence-based medicine and clinical relevance. The organization's approach blends physician consensus with peer-reviewed clinical literature and advanced analytics to determine whether a treatment is necessary, appropriate, and effective.

"GAM's mission as a physician-led quality consortium is to put objective data about provider quality into the hands of organizations and consumers to help navigate the complexities of our healthcare system," said Will Bruhn, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of GAM. "This partnership with Sidecar Health will help push forward that mission by making sure their members receive care from high-quality, cost-effective providers."

This addition underscores Sidecar Health's unique position in the healthcare industry. By allowing members to shop for care, understand pricing upfront, and even earn money back when choosing cost-effective providers, Sidecar Health has created a model that reduces barriers and builds trust — while keeping denial rates below 1% and delivering major savings to employers.

"This isn't just about partnering with a data provider," Quigley added. "It's about reinforcing our values — that by delivering lower costs and more patient-provider autonomy, Sidecar Health enables informed consumers to reshape the healthcare system."

About Sidecar Health

Sidecar Health is a major medical insurance company on a mission to make high-quality healthcare more affordable and accessible for everyone. We lower costs by putting people in control of their health decisions — no prior authorizations, no referrals, no networks. Members can visit any provider and pay directly with the Sidecar Health Visa card. And because they see what their plan covers upfront, they're motivated to make cost-conscious choices. If they spend less, they keep half of the savings; if they spend more, they pay the difference. This model reshapes behavior, reduces costs, and cuts through the red tape that defines traditional insurance. With fewer than 1% of claims denied, Sidecar Health puts people — not insurers — at the center of the system. The result: better access, greater transparency, and more empowered consumers. Learn more at sidecarhealth.com.

About GAM

GAM is a consortium of physicians that develops novel, data-driven and clinically sophisticated healthcare quality and appropriateness measures. GAM partners with organizations to help empower care navigation decisions, preferred provider network design, and quality improvement initiatives. Learn more about GAM at www.gameasures.com.

Media contact: Connor Jones, [email protected]

SOURCE Sidecar Health