Turquoise Health's limited research dataset consists of publicly available data disclosed by hospitals across the United States in compliance with the machine-readable file requirement of the CMS price transparency rule.
The tech firm Turquoise Health has opened its price transparency data platform to researchers at no cost, it reports.
Turquoise Health aggregates hospital data into a consumer database and search tool that allows users to compare relative costs of care by procedure and their ZIP code.
Chris Severn, CEO and co-founder of Turquoise Health, told HealthLeaders last month that academic institutions and researchers were already using the company's data to conduct their own independent research.
Its limited research dataset consists of publicly available data disclosed by hospitals across the United States in compliance with the machine-readable file requirement of the CMS price transparency rule.
The dataset includes the facility fee portion for a curated list of shoppable services mandated for disclosure by CMS.
The data will continue to be updated as Turquoise Health updates and improves its overall database.
The shoppable services being included in this release are:
- Colonoscopy, diagnostic
- CT scan, pelvis, with contrast
- Electrocardiogram, routine, with interpretation and report
- Emergency Level 3
- Emergency Level 4
- Emergency Level 5
- Kidney Function Blood Test Panel
- Knee arthroscopic cartilage removal
- MRI scan of brain before and after contrast
- New patient office or other outpatient visit, typically 30 min
- New patient office of other outpatient visit, typically 45 min
- New patient office of other outpatient visit, typically 60 min
- Ultrasound of abdomen, complete
- Uterine and adnexa procedures, non-malignancy
Apart from these datasets for researchers, anyone can visit the site and see thousands of procedures and compare costs at facilities around them. Turquoise Health also has an interactive map where compliant providers can be viewed along with costs associated with their services.
"We knew that in its raw form, the way that hospitals would disclose it, [price transparency] data wouldn't be useful to patients," Severn said.
In addition, health systems can partner with Turquoise Health to comply with the rule. Its "One-Click Compliance" solution uses an organization's managed care contracts and historical claims data to power their predictions. Automation keeps the data updated year over year.
Turquoise Health also awards badges to hospitals that are "Turquoise Verified," i.e., fully compliant with the price transparency rule.
"We're encouraging hospitals to make the best out of this legislation," Severn said. "In this new world of transparent rates, they need to get ahead of that story."