Methodology

By NudgeWell Founder & Editor  •  Last updated: September 18, 2026

How we build the care-cost numbers

For hospital and procedure examples on Care Costs, NudgeWell samples hospital price-transparency machine-readable files from the CMS provider-data portal. The weekly ingestion also brings in quality context from CMS Care Compare. The configured CMS index and target CPT list determine what is sampled; this is not a census of every hospital, service, payer, or location.

Price rows store the source-reported negotiated price or range and a last_updated value written when the ingestion job upserts a row. The Care Compare quality row has its own update value. The production job is scheduled weekly, but a page reader should treat each displayed row’s freshness as the relevant signal.

Prescription examples and GoodRx links

The prescription path uses NudgeWell’s curated, in-process reference catalog for typical price examples. It creates a location-aware GoodRx link so a reader can check current pharmacy pricing. We do not use a live GoodRx pricing API, and a GoodRx link or coupon is not a guaranteed quote or a carrier-negotiated benefit.

Price, dosage, quantity, pharmacy availability, and coupon terms can change. Verify the current price with the pharmacy and check the plan or benefit administrator when coverage matters.

City and procedure estimates

The current search starts with Census ZIP geocoding. It searches ingested provider rows within the requested radius for the selected procedure, then sorts returned rows by the reader’s selected quality, price, or distance order. Quality and price are joined from the stored CMS-derived rows; distance is calculated from the provider coordinates.

This implementation does not calculate a synthetic national benchmark plus a regional adjustment. There is no hidden regional pricing model behind the displayed result. A future educational benchmark could be labeled separately, but it should not be confused with the source-reported ranges returned today.

Limits worth knowing

• Displayed values are estimates or source-reported ranges, not quotes.
• Network status, deductible, copay, coinsurance, prior authorization, facility fees, clinician fees, dosage, and quantity are not modeled into the result.
• Member-specific cost sharing is not factored in.
• Provider files can be incomplete, inconsistent, or stale, and the configured sample does not cover every market.
• Prescription prices and availability vary by pharmacy and time.

Confirm a meaningful price or coverage question with the provider, pharmacy, insurer, or plan documents before scheduling or purchasing.

Affiliate methodology

We review potential partners for clear pricing, a useful service, credible claims, accessible terms, and a usable cancellation or refund path. “We recommend” means the option appears to fit the described need and passed those checks; it does not mean it is the best universal option or right for every reader.

We screen out undisclosed sponsorship, unsupported medical promises, deceptive pricing, unsafe products, and arrangements where compensation depends on positive editorial treatment. See the affiliate disclosure language in our editorial policy.

Nudge Engine methodology

The Nudge Engine assembles a playbook from benefits-plan inputs, general eligibility and deadline rules, member-provided context, and behavior-design principles. Its trigger and search-intent rules identify a possible moment; its ability/friction layer looks for ways to make the next step easier; and impact and financial context help prioritize a nudge.

The conversation layer uses Motivational Interviewing and Tiny Habits ideas: listen, reflect, ask permission before advice, and connect a small action to an existing routine. Examples of behaviors include checking an expiring FSA, using preventive care, reviewing EAP or telehealth, booking an eligible service, or completing a benefits action. A reader may not have any particular benefit, so the copy should invite verification rather than assume eligibility.

This playbook is not a clinical diagnosis, a medical recommendation, or a claims-based determination. It cannot decide what a plan will pay or whether a service is medically necessary.

Data freshness

This static page does not have access to the production database’s latest successful row timestamps. We do not substitute the page date for a source refresh date. “Not available” means the repository does not expose a verified timestamp here.

When a verified production or human-review timestamp is available, it belongs in this table and should be updated when the underlying source or methodology changes.

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