Fifty questions that were too expensive to ask.
The government publishes a mountain of public healthcare data, but the useful stuff is buried in the connections between the pieces, and getting at it used to mean weeks of analyst time per question. I built the thing that makes those answers instant. Below are fifty real questions clients ask, each its own page: the problem it solves, and the answer you can now have in seconds instead of a quarter.
Each one is a real question with a real answer.
Every page below takes two things that are far more useful together than apart, hospital quality and what it costs, nursing-home staffing and how good the care is, what doctors are paid by industry and what they prescribe, and turns the pairing into a straight answer. On its own, each piece is just more data. Put together and kept current, it becomes something you can actually decide on.
Pick the question closest to yours. Each page lays out the problem, the answer you can now get, and the kinds of follow-ups it opens up, all powered by the same solution behind my healthcare data work.
Questions clients actually ask.
Sorted alphabetically. Each links to the problem it solves and the answer you can now get.
Behavioral Health Provider Availability by Region
Where are mental-health providers actually scarce? See the real access deserts, where help is hardest to reach, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Cardiac Procedure Cost by Hospital
Why does the same heart procedure cost so much more at one hospital than another, and do you get a better result? See cost next to outcome, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Critical Access Hospital Performance
How are small rural hospitals doing on money and quality of care, and which ones are at risk? See the early-warning list, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Dialysis Results vs. Who Owns the Clinic
Do the big dialysis chains get better results than independent clinics, or no different? Put clinic results next to who owns each clinic and find out, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Did Better-Staffed Nursing Homes Fare Better in COVID
Did nursing homes with more staff come through COVID better than thin-staffed ones? Put staffing next to cases and deaths, home by home, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Do Cheaper Hospitals Deliver Worse Care
Is a cheaper hospital actually a worse one? Put what hospitals charge next to how good their care is, treatment by treatment, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Doctor Quality Scores by Specialty
How do doctors' quality scores compare by specialty and by the size of their practice, and who gets penalized? It's a public answer that was rarely cut the way the questions demand, and now takes seconds.
Does Practice Make Perfect for Surgeons
Do surgeons who do a procedure more often get better results? Put how often each surgeon does it next to how their patients fared and find out, procedure by procedure, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Does Thin Primary Care Push People to the ER
When people can't get a regular doctor's appointment, do they end up in the ER instead? See where thin primary care lines up with heavy ER use, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
For-Profit vs. Nonprofit Home-Health Care
For-profit or nonprofit home-health agencies, who delivers better care? Put each agency's rating next to who owns it and find out, side by side, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Hospice Quality by State
Which states have hospice care that families rate highly, and which fall short? Roll family ratings up state by state and find out, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Hospital Infections vs. Patient Experience
Can patients sense how safe a hospital really is? See infection rates next to how patients rate their stay and get the answer in seconds instead of weeks.
Hospital Margins by State
Which states' hospitals are running thin or losing money, and how rural facilities compare to city ones? It's a public answer that used to take a consultant weeks and now takes seconds.
Hospital Market Share by Region
Which hospital really dominates heart care, cancer care, or any service in a region, and is its lead growing or slipping? See market share built from public records, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Hospital Mortality vs. Readmission
Do the hospitals best at keeping patients alive also keep them from bouncing back? It's a public answer that lived in two separate places, and now takes seconds.
Hospital Profitability vs. Ownership
How do for-profit, nonprofit, and government hospitals really compare on the bottom line? See who runs in the black and who doesn't, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Hospital Readmission Rates by State
How often do patients end up back in the hospital, and where is it worst? See readmissions by state and condition and get the answer in seconds instead of weeks.
Hospital Star Ratings vs. Cost of Care
Do higher-rated hospitals actually cost more? Put hospital quality next to what care really costs and find out, by treatment, by market, by state, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
How Much People Still Use Telehealth
Did virtual doctor visits stick around after the pandemic, or snap back to in-person? See how much telehealth people still use, by area and type of care, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
How Often Doctors Choose Cheaper Generic Drugs
When a cheaper generic exists, how often do doctors still reach for the pricey brand name, and what does that habit cost? See who leans brand and how much it adds up to, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Industry Money vs. How Busy a Doctor Is
Do the busiest doctors attract the most money from drug and device makers? Put each doctor's payments next to how many patients they see and find out, per patient, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Industry Payments vs. Prescribing Patterns
Do doctors paid by drug and device makers prescribe those products more? See the money next to the prescriptions and get the answer in seconds instead of weeks.
Joint Replacement Cost & Quality Variation
Where is a hip or knee replacement both affordable and done well, and where is it neither? See price and outcome side by side, by hospital and market, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Lab & Pathology Use & Spending
How much does lab-test ordering and spending vary from one doctor and one area to the next? Turn ordering into real spending, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Medical Equipment Spending & Outliers
Where does spending on wheelchairs, oxygen, and supplies go off the rails? See which suppliers and orderers stand far apart from the pack, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Medicare Advantage Penetration by County
Where are private Medicare plans winning over the government version, county by county? It's a public answer that used to mean stitching spreadsheets by hand and now takes seconds.
Medicare Advantage Star Ratings vs. Enrollment
Do people actually flock to higher-rated private Medicare plans? See whether the star ratings really pull in members, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Medicare Spending per Beneficiary by Region
Is your area expensive because it does more care or because it charges more? See spending per person by region and get the answer in seconds instead of weeks.
More Home Visits vs. Better Recovery
Does sending the nurse more often actually help patients recover better, or do extra visits stop making a difference? Put visit counts next to recovery results and find out, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Nursing Home Problems vs. Who Owns the Home
Do for-profit or chain-owned nursing homes run into more problems? See inspection findings next to who owns each home and get the answer in seconds instead of weeks.
Nursing Home Ratings vs. Penalties
Do the worst-rated nursing homes actually get fined? It's a public answer that lived in two separate places, so almost nobody checked, and now it takes seconds.
Nursing Home Staffing vs. Star Ratings
Does more staffing actually mean better care? See how much a nursing home staffs next to its quality rating and get the answer in seconds instead of weeks.
Oncology Drug Spending
How fast are cancer drug costs growing, and which drugs are driving it? See the whole cancer-drug bill in one place, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Physician Specialty by Geography
Where can people actually find a specialist, and where can't they? See how many of each kind of doctor serve every area and get the answer in seconds instead of weeks.
Preventable Hospitalizations by Region
Where do people end up in the hospital for things good day-to-day care could have prevented? See which areas have the most avoidable admissions, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Provider Enrollment Growth by Specialty
Which kinds of doctors are joining or leaving Medicare, and where? It's a public answer that used to mean diffing spreadsheets by hand and now takes seconds.
Rural vs. Urban Provider Access
How big is the gap in access to doctors and facilities between rural and city areas? It's a public answer whose pieces lived in separate places, and now takes seconds.
Skilled Nursing Length of Stay vs. Readmission
Do longer stays in a nursing rehab facility keep patients out of the hospital, or just run up the bill? See length of stay next to outcomes, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Surgery Center vs. Hospital Cost & Volume
How fast are surgeries moving from hospitals to outpatient surgery centers, and how much cheaper are they there? See the shift and the price gap, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
What Hospitals Charge vs. What's Actually Paid
For the same hospital stay, how far does what a hospital charges run above what's actually paid? Put the charge next to the payment and find out, hospital by hospital, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Where Chronic Illness Is Most Common
Where are illnesses like diabetes and heart failure most common, and where do several pile up together? See the map by state and county, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Where Expensive Scans Like MRI and CT Are Used the Most
Where do expensive scans like MRI and CT get used the most, and where does it look like overuse? Map the rates by area and find out, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Which Doctor-Administered Drugs Cost Medicare the Most
Which doctor-administered drugs cost Medicare the most, and which are growing fastest? Rank, total, and trend the spending and find out, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Which Doctors and Areas Prescribe the Most Opioids
Which kinds of doctors and which areas prescribe opioids the most, and who stands out even among their own peers? See it ranked, and how it's changing, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Which Doctors Get the Most Industry Money
Which kinds of doctors take the most money from drug and device makers, and is it small meals to many or big fees to a few? Group the payments by specialty and find out, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Which Drugs Are Driving Spending Up
When prescription spending jumps, is it because prices went up or because more people filled the prescription? Separate the two and find out which drugs really drive the growth, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Which Hospitals Carry the Most Unpaid Care
Which hospitals and states carry the most unpaid and charity care? Pull the numbers out of dense filings and find out, hospital by hospital and state by state, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Who Does the Most Procedures, and What's Paid
Which procedures and which doctors do the most work, and how much does the payment for the very same procedure vary? Rank it and find out, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Who Picks Private Medicare vs. Original Medicare
Who chooses a private Medicare plan over original Medicare, by age, income, and where they live? Put plan choice next to who people are and find out, county by county, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Who's Entering & Leaving Medicare
Who is joining Medicare, who is leaving, and how much the provider base turns over? A neutral, descriptive view of the churn, an answer that used to take weeks and now takes seconds.
Have a question
that isn't on this list?
These fifty are a starting point, not the limit. If your question lives somewhere in this data and you don't see it here, that's exactly the kind of thing this was built to answer.