How We Keep the Numbers Honest

Live Verification Overview

• Audit Frequency: Automated CMS API checks run every 24 hours; manual spot reviews occur weekly.
• Accuracy (September 2025 audit): 99.56% match rate across all ranked surgeons and three primary joint replacement codes (27130, 27447, 23472).
• Data Window: Medicare Provider Utilization & Payment Data (2013–2024 service years).

How the Audit Pipeline Works

1. Ingest the latest CMS release and normalize surgeon names, NPIs, and practice locations.
2. Compare each surgeon’s procedure counts against the prior baseline to detect anomalies or missing records.
3. Validate totals for hip, knee, and shoulder replacements individually to confirm CPT-level accuracy.
4. Log & Alert discrepancies greater than 1% so the data team can review within 24 hours.
5. Publish updated rankings, regenerate sitemaps, and timestamp the audit history for reference.

Transparency Commitments

• Significant discrepancies trigger a correction notice and public changelog entry.
• Full audit logs (timestamp, NPI, procedure category, variance) are retained for internal review.
• Users may request clarification or raw Medicare excerpts for any surgeon profile.

Accuracy Snapshot (2025-09)

When Issues Occur

If an automated audit flags a material difference:

• The record is temporarily withheld from rankings if patient safety could be impacted.
• The underlying Medicare entry is cross-checked against the CMS source file.
• Corrections (name changes, merged practices, billing anomalies) are documented and deployed within one business day.

Need More Detail?

• Review the methodology notes
• Examine the medical sources library
• Contact our data team with any questions or requests for supporting evidence.

We treat data trust as a core product feature. Every fix, audit, and improvement is driven by the expectation that patients deserve clear, validated information before choosing a surgeon.