External Research

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External Research

December 19, 2022

External researchers rely on FAIR Health data and publications for a broad array of studies featured in prominent journals and government reports. This year’s external research included studies from JAMA Network Open, Annals of Internal Medicine and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), among others. Topics included COVID-19, long COVID, telehealth and balance billing.

External research came in two basic forms: studies making direct use of FAIR Health data, and research citing FAIR Health’s own data studies. FAIR Health remains strenuously neutral as to the points of view or conclusions expressed in the various published studies listed below.

Direct Use of FAIR Health Data

Addie Fleron et al., “The Gathering Storm: The Affordability Challenge of Endemic COVID-19,” McKinsey & Company, September 21, 2022.
This article analyzed the potential ongoing costs of endemic COVID-19. The authors used FAIR Health data for cost of treatment estimates.

Yashaswini Singh et al., “Association of Private Equity Acquisition of Physician Practices with Changes in Health Care Spending and Utilization,” JAMA Health Forum 3, no. 9 (September 2, 2022): e222886.
The researchers studied changes in spending and utilization associated with private equity acquisitions of physician practices across multiple specialties. The study sample of physicians was linked to FAIR Health private claims data.

Clese Erikson et al., “Association between State Payment Parity Policies and Telehealth Usage at Community Health Centers during COVID-19,” Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (July 21, 2022): ocac104.
The authors examined the association between payment parity policies and telehealth utilization at community health centers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used aggregated, de-identified data from FAIR Health for privately insured patients at community health center sites.

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), A Data Book: Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program, July 2022.
This annual report provided information on national healthcare and Medicare spending. The report included FAIR Health analysis of its data on privately insured enrollees aged 18 to 64.

Brian E. Outland et al., “Reforming Physician Payments to Achieve Greater Equity and Value in Health Care: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians,” Annals of Internal Medicine (June 21, 2022).
In this position paper, the American College of Physicians proposed policy recommendations on reforming payment programs to achieve greater equity and value in healthcare. The paper cited a previous Primary Care Collaborative study using FAIR Health data on primary care.

Karishma Srikanth et al., “Associated Costs Are a Barrier to HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Access in the United States,” American Journal of Public Health 112, no. 6 (June 2022): 834-38.
This article discussed how gaps in financial assistance for services associated with HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) pose a barrier to PrEP access among poor or underinsured individuals. FAIR Health data were cited in projecting costs.

Yuriy Pylypchuk and Christian Johnson, “New EHR Certification Requirements and Their Association with Duplicate Tests and Images,” Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (May 27, 2022).
The authors studied whether new electronic health record certification adopted in 2015 altered the incidence of duplicate lab and imaging tests. Longitudinal data from FAIR Health were used in the study.

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, March 2022.
This report fulfilled MedPAC’s legislative mandate to evaluate Medicare payment issues and make recommendations to Congress. The report cited FAIR Health data on spending trends for the privately insured.

Citations of FAIR Health Data Studies

Lori Uscher-Pines and Shira H. Fischer, Key Findings from RAND Health Care Research on Telehealth Policy, RAND Corporation, research brief, November 2022.
The authors synthesized key findings from recent RAND research on telehealth. FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker was cited.

Taku Harada et al., “Long-COVID and Long-Term Cancer Survivorship—Shared Lessons and Opportunities,” European Journal of Cancer Care (September 24, 2022): e13712.
This article discussed the parallels between long COVID and the experiences of long-term cancer survivors. A FAIR Health white paper on patients with long-haul COVID was cited.

Pratha Sah et al., “Estimating the Impact of Vaccination on Reducing COVID-19 Burden in the United States: December 2020 to March 2022,” Journal of Global Health (September 3, 2022).
The authors estimated the reduction in COVID-19 burden achieved by vaccination in the United States from December 2020 to March 2022. FAIR Health’s COVID-19 Cost Tracker was cited.

Dan (Deyna) Feng, “Telehealth – Legal & Compliance Considerations and Operationalization for Employers Post-Pandemic,” Journal of Health Care Finance (Fall 2022).
This article presented considerations for employers thinking about creating a telehealth program for their workforces. The author cited the 2019 edition of FH^® Healthcare Indicators and FH^® Medical Price Index.

Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), Understanding Coverage Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments, report, August 2022.
This report discussed current coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments across payors and gaps in coverage that were expected to develop. The authors cited FAIR Health’s COVID-19 Cost Tracker.

Jasmine Brown-Hollie et al., “Understanding and Addressing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Latinx Families & Children with Developmental Disabilities,” American Journal of Occupational Therapy 76, supplement 1 (July 1, 2022): 7610510190p1.
This poster examined how the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions had affected the well-being of Latinx families and children with developmental disabilities. The authors cited a FAIR Health white paper on risk factors for COVID-19 mortality.

Elaine Maxwell, Jo House and Jo Stucke, “Long Covid 1: Assessing the Long-Term Health Effects of Covid-19,” Nursing Times [online] 118, no. 6 (June 2022).
The authors reviewed long COVID and the nurse’s role, especially in symptom management. A FAIR Health white paper on long-haul COVID was cited.

Georgie Bierwirth, “Regulating Balance Billing in the Private Sector: Should the Federal Government Leave Well Enough Alone?,” DePaul Law Review 71, no. 3 (Summer 2022): 797-830.
This article analyzed whether the No Surprises Act is a sufficient federal solution to combat balance billing. The author cited a FAIR Health white paper on air ambulance services.

Matthew Lee et al., “COVID-19 Mortality Is Associated with Pre-existing Impaired Innate Immunity in Health Conditions,” PeerJ Life & Environment (May 6, 2022).
The researchers studied the association of impaired innate immunity in preexisting health conditions with increased risk of COVID-19 mortality. A FAIR Health white paper on risk factors for COVID-19 mortality was cited.

Abraham D. Flaxman et al., “Estimated Health Outcomes and Costs of COVID-19 Prophylaxis with Monoclonal Antibodies among Unvaccinated Household Contacts in the US,” JAMA Network Open 5, no. 4 (April 22, 2022): e228632.
The authors investigated the potential health outcomes and costs of implementing postexposure prophylaxis with monoclonal antibodies for household contacts of people with COVID-19. The cost of COVID-19 hospitalization was modeled using analysis in a FAIR Health brief on the projected economic impact of COVID-19 on the US healthcare system.

John D. Potter, “Long COVID: A Crucial Reason for Vax, Mask, and Distance,” Public Health Expert (blog), March 22, 2022.
This blog post reviewed what is known about long COVID and its prevention. A FAIR Health white paper on long-haul COVID was cited.

Nathan Hale et al., “The Implications of Long COVID for Rural Communities,” Journal of Rural Health, March 15, 2022.
This article discussed the impact of long COVID in rural populations. The authors cited a FAIR Health white paper on long-haul COVID.

Drew Lewis, “Compassionate Release in the Context of COVID-19 and Future Pandemics,” Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy 21, no. 2 (March 14, 2022).
This article examined compassionate release policy in the context of the spread of pandemics such as COVID-19. The author cited a FAIR Health brief on key characteristics of COVID-19 patients.

United States Government Accountability Office, Medicaid: CMS Should Assess Effect of Increased Telehealth Use on Beneficiaries’ Quality of Care, GAO-22-104700, March 2022.
This study examined increased use of telehealth in Medicaid and the potential effects on beneficiaries’ quality of care. FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker was cited.

Valeria d’Andrea et al., “Individual Risk Perception and Empirical Social Structures Shape the Dynamics of Infectious Disease Outbreaks,” PLOS Computational Biology (February 16, 2022).
This modeling study investigated how individual risk perception and social structures shape infectious disease outbreaks. A FAIR Health brief on the economic impact of COVID-19 on the US healthcare system was cited.

Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Office of Health Policy, National Survey Trends in Telehealth Use in 2021: Disparities in Utilization and Audio vs. Video Services, issue brief, February 1, 2022.
This report aimed to assess national trends in telehealth utilization in 2021 and identify disparities, particularly in use of video versus audio-only telehealth. The authors cited data from FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.

Cheryl L. Anderson, “No Disability If You Recover: How the ADA Shortchanges Short-Term Impairments,” San Diego Law Review 59, no. 1 (February/March 2022): 63.
The author discussed short-term impairments in relation to Americans with Disabilities Act protections. A FAIR Health white paper on long-haul COVID was cited.

Christine Leong et al., “Psychotropic Drug Use in Children and Adolescents before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” JAMA Pediatrics (January 4, 2022).
The authors studied the extent of change in psychotropic drug use in children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A FAIR Health white paper on the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric mental health was cited.