Blue Health Intelligence (BHI) and the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) have formed a multiyear data partnership, the two organizations announced Tuesday.
Through the partnership, HCCI, which holds a massive database of information on the commercially insured insurance market, will be able to harness data from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association plans. BHI leverages medical and pharmacy claims data on 190 million Americans.
The data provided to HCCI are stripped of identifying information on plan members or employers. HCCI then uses its database to conduct research into healthcare costs and identify solutions.
“HCCI is a critical national resource,” Niall Brennan, HCCI CEO, said in the announcement. “This new partnership with BHI, allied with ongoing support from our legacy partners, guarantees the continued availability of an accessible, trusted resource to better understand and ultimately rein in U.S. healthcare costs.”
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HCCI’s database is used both internally to conduct health research and by outside universities and health analytics groups to study costs, utilization and spending trends.
“By adding our conformed and secure data to HCCI’s repository by the end of the year, BHI welcomes the chance to increase opportunities to advance healthcare cost and quality solutions for all Americans,” BHI CEO Swati Abbott said.
Earlier this year, HCCI revealed that UnitedHealthcare would pull its data from the collective in 2022. Other legacy partners in the institute include Aetna, Humana and Kaiser Permanente.