The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) has ended its data collaboration relationship agreement with UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer. The relationship provided HCCI with de-identified insurance claims for data analysis of U.S. healthcare spending, utilization and market performance.
HCCI, which currently holds one of the largest databases for the commercially insured, still receives data from Aetna, Humana and Kaiser Permanente. United has been one of the four major health insurers that provided data for HCCI’s in-house analysis and outside research through data-sharing agreements with universities and other organizations.
“HCCI would like to thank United Healthcare for being a founding data contributor to what is a critical resource for researchers and the general public to understand the drivers of health care costs in the U.S.,” Niall Brennan, president and CEO of HCCI, said in a statement. “While we are disappointed United will no longer contribute data to HCCI, we are proud of the work we have done using United’s and other payers’ data to foster a more robust debate on health care costs in recent years.”
HCCI plans to approve up to 10 new research projects that will incorporate United data between now and June 30, 2019. All HCCI research partners––new and existing––will be able to access HCCI’s combined dataset, which includes United data, through 2022. Its database represents nearly 50 million covered lives each year, including employer-sponsored plans, Medicare Advantage and the individual market.
HCCI declined to comment on UnitedHealthcare's rationale for the decision to HealthExec.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."