Data provenance & method
Plain English, because trust is the product.
Modeled vs observed
Every number on this site carries one of two labels. observed means it comes directly from a public record: a plan's network directory, a CMS formulary file, a Form 5500 filing. modeled means we estimated it — a doctor's payer mix is their public Part D channel volume distributed across their county's payer enrollment shares. Order is the signal; percentages are estimates and always carry a tilde.
Sources
- CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use Files (prescriber-level claim volumes; cells under 11 suppressed at source by CMS)
- CMS monthly enrollment by county, contract, and parent organization
- CMS quarterly formulary and plan files (tiers, prior auth, step therapy)
- Department of Labor Form 5500 / EFAST2 filings and public plan documents (employer → carrier → PBM)
- Insurer price-transparency machine-readable files and public network directories
What we never have
No patient-level data, anywhere. All inputs are aggregate public data, suppressed at the source below small cell sizes. PBSwitch is pre-call planning intelligence — it is never a detail aid, a leave-behind, or a substitute for promotional-review-approved materials.
Refresh cadence
Prescriber and enrollment data refresh monthly; formulary data quarterly. Every page shows the live vintage above, and each refresh is loaded, checked, and flipped atomically — you never see a half-updated site.