More FAQs about the Artemis Platform

Get to know the Artemis Platform a little better with a few of our FAQs. And if you want more FAQs, check out this post here!

How do you select the date range for your analysis? What do the colors mean?

It’s easy to set the date range for your analysis within the Artemis Platform. Each bar represents one month, and the color-coding helps you determine the accuracy of the data for each month. Drag the bar to select a date range. Months in green are safe to use, while orange and red indicate potentially incomplete claims data.

I like the idea of the Actionable Overspending App, but how do you know this information? What data are you using?

We use multiple academic studies and data models to determine what counts as “actionable overspending.”  The NYU Wagner Public School of Health study on ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes provides the data the Avoidable ER model, and we utilize the Dartmouth Atlas study for referral regions within the same area for comparison. Our senior clinical staff has also built numerous data models to identify and track inefficient spending using our customers’ real data.

It’s one thing to identify overspending, but how do we go about figuring out the action we should take?

There are a number of ways you can use the insights you find in Artemis to take action:

• Adjust your pharmacy formulary based on the data
• Communicate with employees in specific office locations (i.e. the Denver office isn’t utilizing telemedicine)
• Incentivize wellness programs by finding out what works
• Adding or eliminating providers in your network
• Adjusting copays or co-insurance to incentivize behavior
• Creating and communicating with de-identified member cohorts through your carrier or vendor
  

I know about generic vs. brand-name prescriptions. What else does your Inefficient Rx App identify?

We’ve built more than 7,500 models into this app to identify less expensive, equally potent drug options that go far beyond generic vs. brand-name. The Artemis Platform can compare generic vs. generic, brand-name vs. brand-name, different packaging options, different drug release mechanism, alternative administrations routes (spray vs. pill or pill vs. injection), different active isomers, double billing, and more.

Can you do detailed claims analysis to identify key cost drivers?

Artemis makes it easy to not only identify key cost drivers by reviewing weighted trends from both a cost and a utilization standpoint, but also to determine why these costs increased (increased in healthcare prices, more sick people in your population, etc.).

We also make it possible to drill into any given trend driver using a “breakdown.” For example: If we see that specialty drug charges are rising by 400% for a given population, Artemis makes it easy to determine:

• Which drugs are driving this trend
• Which medical plan is experiencing this increase
• Which providers are prescribing these specialty medications

This info allows employers to take targeted, strategic action, not just try a formulary adjustment and hope it has the desired impact.

What kind of programs can you evaluate in the New Program Savings app?

We can evaluate anything where there is an associated cost for the program to compare with existing costs. For example, we can compare the cost of telemedicine vs. ER utilization. Our customers have used New Program Savings to gain insight into near-site clinics, on-site clinics, telemedicine, center of excellence, wellness initiatives, and more.

Does Artemis offer benchmarks?

Yes. The Benchmarks App uses a large data set that allows employers to compare their population against regional or national data. It includes 20 million covered lives, no government payers, and allows employers to answer the question, “What should we be worried about?” This data helps analysts identify outliers in their population and gives them a better sense for how they stack up against the average.

I don’t have time to use a tool like Artemis. How can you help?

No worries, we’ve got you covered with our white glove service. Not only do we offer 240 hours each year of analytical support, but we also work side-by-side with consultants to help our customers find and take action on their benefits.

Want to learn more about how we can help you become a data-driven decision maker? Sign up for a live demo of the Artemis Platform.