Sage Transparency
Sage Transparency is a free, public-facing tool designed to offer a clear, unbiased view of hospital price, cost, and quality data, as well as price data for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and physician-administered medications. Sage Transparency 2.0 includes new dashboards, data, and features. It aids employers, policymakers, researchers, and the general public in making informed, evidence-based decisions.
Last updated December 17, 2024.
Sage Transparency’s Data
Sage Transparency utilizes both public and proprietary data to compare hospital prices and quality. Data from the below sources will be updated in future releases:
- Employer Price Transparency Studies conducted by RAND
- National Academy for State Health Policy
- January Advisors
- Quantros / Healthcare Bluebook
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
A key metric in Sage Transparency’s reports is the price of health care as a percentage of the Medicare reimbursement rate. The Medicare rate is the amount of money Medicare pays providers for specific services. If a hospital’s overall prices are 2.5 times what that same hospital would charge Medicare for the same services, Sage Transparency would express that hospital’s price as 250% of Medicare. We call this the relative price.
Videos, podcasts, and slide decks on Sage Transparency data sources
Third Party Videos / Podcasts
Employers’ Forum of Indiana has no direct affiliation or association with organizations responsible for creating the resources below. The views, opinions, and content presented in this video are solely those of the creators and do not represent an official stance or endorsement of the Forum. The purpose of sharing these resources is for informational purposes only, and to provide an example of how organizations can utilize Sage Transparency. Any references to products, services, companies, or individuals within the video should not be interpreted as an endorsement or promotion by the Forum.
How to Compare Hospital Prices with Sage Transparency (Total Control Health Plans, July 19, 2023)
Sage Transparency: The Hospital Transparency You Want is Here — If You Know How to Use It. (Zero.Health, March 2, 2023)
Compare Hospital Prices with Sage Transparency Tool (AHealthcareZ Jan 15, 2023)
National Healthcare Price Transparency Conference 2024
During the 2024 National Healthcare Price Transparency Conference, representatives from the various data sources presented and answered questions about the data sets:
Additional recordings from the 2022 conference:
FAQs
How often is Sage Transparency updated?
Data sources used in Sage Transparency will be queried once a quarter to obtain the most current information from each source if updates have been made. Sage Transparency 2.0 data updates last occurred December 17, 2024.
Can I purchase the data from Sage Transparency?
Yes. To purchase the data from Sage Transparency, simply click the “Purchase Data” button on the Sage Transparency landing page and follow the prompts.
How is RAND data used by Sage Transparency?
Sage Transparency 2.0 uses data from the Employer Price Transparency Study (PT5.1), conducted by RAND, to provide hospital, ambulatory surgery center (ASC), and medication price metrics. Hospital and ASC data represents the prices employers and insurance plans paid for health care as compared to what Medicare would charge for the same service. Medication data is represented as a ratio of the commercial prices paid for these medications versus the average sales price.
How is data from the National Academy for State Health Policy used by Sage Transparency?
The NASHP Hospital Cost Tool provides Sage Transparency with key metrics: commercial break even price, operating profit margin per payer type, and payer mix. Commercial break even is the reimbursement rate a hospital needs to receive from commercial payers to cover all of its expenses for hospital inpatient and outpatient services, without profit.
The NASHP Hospital Cost Tool includes revenue from all sources, commercial patient hospital costs, as well as shortfall or profit from public coverage programs, Medicare disallowed costs, and other expenses, such as hospital operations, administration, ancillary services, and non-operating expenses.
View more about the NASHP Hospital Cost Tool (2011-2022 data) at: https://tool.nashp.org/
How is January Advisors data used by Sage Transparency?
Hospitals by Legislator: Sage Transparency 2.0 features licensed data that identifies state and federal legislators and the hospitals in their districts. This enhancement helps users reach out to the appropriate legislators about hospital issues and provides policymakers with key information on pricing and quality in their district.
View more about January Advisors at: https://www.januaryadvisors.com/.
How is Quantros data used by Sage Transparency?
Quantros quality data from Healthcare Bluebook is risk- and severity-adjusted to allow accurate comparisons, and integrated into a single, multi-dimensional composite score and rating. Employers, benefits companies, insurance brokers, and more use this data to optimize value-based success and identify high-quality facilities for patient referrals.
Learn more about Quantros at: https://www.healthcarebluebook.com/explore-quantros
How is data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services used by Sage Transparency?
Quality Star Rating: CMS uses a five-star quality rating system to measure Medicare beneficiaries’ experience with their health plans and the health care system. The overall hospital star rating summarizes a variety of measures across five areas of quality into a single star rating for each hospital. Once reporting thresholds are met, a hospital’s overall star rating is calculated using only those measures for which data are available. The average is about 37 measures. Hospitals report data to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program, Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program, Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program, and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program.
The latest methodology uses a simple average of measure scores to calculate measure group scores and Z-score standardization to standardize measure group scores for the following five measure groups.
- Mortality
- Safety of Care
- Readmission
- Patient Experience
- Timely & Effective Care
Learn more about CMS Quality Star rating data at: https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/dataset/xubh-q36u.
Patient Experience Star Rating – Hospital ratings from Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), a national, standardized survey of hospital patients about their experiences during a recent inpatient hospital stay.
Learn more about CMS Quality Star rating data at: https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/dataset/dgck-syfz.
Who should use Sage Transparency?
Sage Transparency is free to use for all. The data contained in Sage Transparency will especially equip employers, purchasing groups, journalists, and elected officials with information which can help them better understand and compare prices.
Who do I contact if I have questions?
To leave feedback about Sage Transparency, please use this form.
For questions about data, printing/exporting, or general use regarding Sage Transparency, contact us.
For media inquiries, contact Sara Otte at media@employersforumindiana.org or 812-390-8964.
Resources
While Sage Transparency leverages data from RAND, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and more, she isn’t the only resource available to learn about hospital prices. Check out Sage Transparency’s FAQs and find additional resources for employers, researchers, and policymakers.
Disclaimer
The Employers’ Forum of Indiana (EFI) provides Sage Transparency as a compilation of various information resources, delivered in good faith, and believed accurate at publication. However, all content is provided ‘AS IS’ and ‘AS AVAILABLE’ without any warranty, express or implied, including as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the provided information. EFI disclaims all responsibility for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the tool and for any outcomes resulting from its use. Users assume full risk and responsibility for their reliance on any information provided. EFI and its affiliates are not liable for any damages arising from use, reliance, or distribution of the provided analysis and information. EFI reserves the right to modify and update the content without notice. The views and opinions are solely those of EFI staff and do not reflect those of its members or third parties. Sage Transparency does not provide legal advice.
