Analytics and market research platform Trilliant Health announced its National Provider Directory will now be publicly available and accessible via an API. 

The organization's directory contains information on 2.7 million U.S. providers with over 65 million novel and proprietary data points, including provider affiliations, practice locations and practicing specialty. 

Basic access to the API will be available for free, with premium licensing available for consumer applications or advanced analyses. 

The directory, consisting of information on healthcare facilities, allied health professionals and physicians, will also be supported by open-source libraries, allowing for third-party development and analysis. 

"The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has decreed that accurate provider directory information is critical to patient access, care coordination, information exchange and public health data reporting, and we agree. Our provider directory is our most important and valuable asset, and it is foundational to everything we do," Hal Andrews, CEO of Trilliant Health, said in a statement. "By opening access to our provider directory, we aim to drive innovation across the industry – from providers and health plans to employers and digital health entrepreneurs – to equip Americans with the information needed to make better decisions about our healthcare system."

THE LARGER TREND

Trilliant's announcement comes after CMS relayed its plans in October to seek public input on building a "National Directory of Healthcare Providers and Services" to provide information on healthcare providers and services.

The agency said a public directory could serve as an essential resource for patients in helping them locate providers who meet their needs, allowing them to compare health plan networks, facilitate care coordination, and assist with health information exchange and public health data reporting.