New York-based Peterson Philanthropies has committed $50 million to launch Peterson Health Analytics, a new public-benefit company created to give employers the independent, actionable data they need to take greater control of their healthcare spending.

Peterson Health Analytics (PHA) combines price transparency data, employer claims, and independent quality and safety ratings to show employers what they are actually paying for healthcare services compared to what others pay in the same markets. For the first time, employers will have access to a comprehensive view of the cost and quality of their healthcare benefits.
 
Peterson says that PHA was created to develop data solutions with employers, for employers. It partners with benefits coalitions — the Purchaser Business Group on Health and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

Leading PHA is Cora Opsahl, who joins the organization from the 32BJ Health Benefit Fund, where she worked to deliver savings for union members by negotiating better contracts and demanding lower prices from large hospitals, health plans, and PBMs.
 
"Employers are among the most overlooked forces for change in American healthcare," said Opsahl, managing director of Peterson Health Analytics, in a statement. "They have the financial power to demand better performance from health plans, health systems, and consultants, but they've been flying blind because they’ve lacked the right data. Peterson Health Analytics changes that by showing employers exactly what they're paying, what they're getting, and where they can do better.”

Peterson Health Analytics was developed through a demonstration project, funded by Peterson Philanthropies and designed and executed by the nonprofit Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH) and its members. In the demonstration project, Peterson and PBGH worked with five major employers — including Qualcomm, Boeing, and the City and County of Denver — to combine new, federal price transparency data, employer claims data, and independent quality and safety ratings. PHA said the results revealed large price variations across markets, significant savings potential for employers, and opportunities for the participating employers to design higher-performance care delivery networks.
 
"Employers need trusted data to address the affordability crisis because the market hasn’t. Peterson Health Analytics and PBGH Advisory Services are aligned in our conviction to scale this work, so every employer has the reliable data and unconflicted advice they need to deliver the best possible benefits for workers and families," said Elizabeth Mitchell, president and CEO of PBGH, in a statement. 
 
As the foundational design partner, PBGH has been named Peterson Health Analytics' preferred advisory services partner, giving employers access to PBGH's strategic guidance to help them take effective action based on the PHA data and analysis.
 
Peterson Health Analytics will also be partnering with National Alliance of Health Care Purchaser Coalitions as an employer recruitment and engagement partner, to deliver the PHA data analysis and solutions to the National Alliance’s more than 40 purchasing coalitions across the country.

Peterson Health Analytics stresses that it was established as a public-benefit company, reflecting its goals of both public mission and long-term financial sustainability. Unlike conventional vendors, Peterson Health Analytics has no financial ties to health plans, health systems, or benefits consultants, ensuring its analysis is free from conflicts of interest.