Start with the decision
Name the service, market, payer or plan context, billing setting, and contracting question. A market median is not useful until the comparison population is explicit.
Normalize without erasing the source
Retain the source file, payer and plan labels, code type, code, description, setting, rate type, publication date, retrieval date, and parsing status.
Build the governed cohort
Include observations only when the analytical policy supports comparison. Keep excluded and malformed observations visible with a reason.
Separate observation from interpretation
A published negotiated-rate observation is not necessarily a final allowed amount, episode cost, utilization-weighted price, or member liability.
Package the result
Export the benchmark with cohort rules, exclusions, source releases, limitations, and unresolved questions so a reviewer can reproduce it.
See the method in context