The vast reach — and immense value — of a decades-old patient database

The databases that make up MarketScan — which IBM sold from its Watson Health business — now include the records of 270 million people. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

How a decades-old database became a hugely profitable dossier on the health of 270 million Americans By Casey ross Alex Hogan/STAT The vast reach of MarketScan, and its immense value, is unmistakable. Last month, a private equity firm announced that it would pay $1 billion to buy the databases — a repository of sensitive patient information — from IBM. The financial trajectory of MarketScan was perhaps unimaginable in 1981, when a former insurance executive named Ernie Ludy founded the company. Read More Sponsor content by STAT Events The STAT Breakthrough Science Summit At this March 31 event, executives, researchers, scientists, and investors will take the stage to discuss the technologies and procedures at the cutting edge of health and medicine. Get your ticket now to learn about the latest efforts to battle diseases and help patients. More great reads from STAT this week Despite Biden’s big promises and a far better understanding of the virus, Covid-19 is still raging through the nation’s prisons By Nicholas Florko As internet access limits telehealth’s reach, insurers are starting to cover the bill By Katie Palmer ‘The numbers are pretty appalling’: Asian scientists rarely awarded top scientific prizes By Usha Lee McFarling Researchers label early CAR-T therapy patient ‘cured’ after living a decade without cancer By Angus Chen A scientific pioneer finds herself on the sidelines of the race in xenotransplantation By Megan Molteni Illumina’s embrace of long-read technology signals a shift in the DNA-sequencing market By Jonathan Wosen How Andreessen Horowitz competes for the best health tech startups By Mario Aguilar Opinion: Take an immune-suppressing drug and risk getting Covid or watch my wrist joints disintegrate? By Larry Tye Saturday, February 5, 2022       1 Exchange Pl, Suite 201, Boston, MA 02109 ©2022, All Rights Reserved. I no longer wish to receive STAT emails Update Email Preferences | Contact Us | View In Browser