This is the fifth annual edition of FH® Healthcare Indicators and FH® Medical Price Index, two measures developed by FAIR Health to provide clarity in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. Drawing on the independent nonprofit’s national database of billions of privately insured healthcare claims—the largest in the country—these two measures apply different approaches to illuminate different aspects of the national healthcare sector, including, among other factors, trends in the place of service and billed and allowed amounts for professional services.

Currently, no federal law protects consumers against “surprise” bills from out-of-network ground ambulance providers. Some state and local governments regulate ground ambulance surprise billing practices; however, such laws may not apply to all health plans or ambulance providers in an area. Because of the substantial policy interest in ground ambulance services, FAIR Health drew on its vast database of private healthcare claims to illuminate multiple aspects of such services across the nation, including utilization, costs, age, gender, diagnoses and differences across states. Among the findings:

As adults age, the ability to navigate the healthcare system and make informed healthcare decisions is crucial. Family caregivers, likewise, often are called upon to navigate the healthcare system on behalf of those for whom they care. To better understand the perspectives and needs of older adults —those aged 65 and older—and family caregivers/care partners when making healthcare decisions and navigating the healthcare system, FAIR Health, a national, independent nonprofit organization, commissioned ENGINE Insights to conduct a study comprising two national surveys¹ that assessed perspectives of older adults and family caregivers/care partners on healthcare decision making (including shared decision making), the impact of healthcare costs on healthcare decisions, and challenges in navigating the healthcare system.

Rotary-wing (helicopter) or fixed-wing (airplane) air ambulances are sometimes used in emergencies to transport critically ill patients, often in life-threatening situations, to a hospital or for transportation between hospitals when patients need a higher level of care. In this report, FAIR Health uses both private and Medicare claims data to shed light on aspects of air ambulance services—both fixed-wing and rotary-wing—across the nation, including utilization, costs, age, gender, diagnoses that drive air ambulance use, differences across states, and outcomes of air ambulance transport as compared to ground ambulance transport. Among the findings: