MarketScan spotlight

Last month, we hosted a thought-provoking webinar exploring how real-world data (RWD) is transforming vaccine outreach, education, and research. The session traced the historical evolution of vaccination policy, examined current challenges in vaccine uptake—including social, economic, and access-related barriers—and showcased how RWD can illuminate patterns in vaccine hesitancy, coverage, and health outcomes.

Key insights included:

• The role of social networks and parental beliefs in vaccination decisions.
• Disparities in vaccine access across socioeconomic and geographic lines.
• The utility of claims and EMR data in evaluating vaccine safety and effectiveness.
• Emerging trends in public trust and healthcare utilization post-pandemic. 

Missed the live broadcast? 
You can now watch the full webinar on demand to explore how data-driven insights are helping stakeholders address vaccine hesitancy and improve public health outcomes. Whether you're a payer, provider, researcher, or policymaker, this session offers actionable perspectives grounded in evidence. 

Since launching in July, Insights Uncovered: A Real-World Data Podcast Series has explored how real-world data (RWD) is transforming healthcare research. The debut episode featured Brenna Brady, PhD, and Brian Davis, PhD, from MarketScan, discussing the importance of Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) in driving equitable outcomes and strengthening study design. 

The series has since expanded with episodes that dive deeper into the challenges and opportunities of using RWD in healthcare. 

The second episode, Why the Healthcare Industry Needs Linked Data, explores how linking datasets can unlock powerful insights—if done correctly. Guenter Sauter, PhD, and Liisa Palmer, PhD, discuss the technical and regulatory hurdles researchers face, from siloed systems to HIPAA compliance. They share proven strategies to avoid common pitfalls and ensure that linked data delivers meaningful, actionable results. 

Episode three, How RWD Furthers Understanding of Pregnancy, focuses on maternal and infant health—an area often overlooked in clinical trials. Experts Elizabeth Packnett, MPH, Luke Boulanger, and Liisa Palmer, PhD, explain how RWD enables researchers to link mother-infant records, assess medication safety, evaluate healthcare services, and monitor pregnancy risk factors. As Palmer notes, “The role of real-world data in analyses to help better understand the gaps in maternal care... is a topic worth diving into.” 

These episodes continue to highlight the value of RWD in addressing real-world challenges and improving outcomes across the healthcare landscape.

The MarketScan Medicare Database has undergone a major expansion, now offering 3x more annual lives and an 80% year-over-year increase in lab values. This growth enhances its alignment with the Commercial Database, enabling richer, more representative insights into the commercially insured 65+ population. 

Key highlights: 

• Significant growth in Medicare lives and lab data across therapeutic areas 
• Stronger integration with Commercial data for cross-age population analysis 
• Expanded lab values fuel deeper real-world evidence and faster decision-making 
• Broader age diversity supports more representative U.S. coverage 

Why it matters: With claims from inpatient, outpatient, drug, lab, dental, and enrollment sources—plus coverage of Medicare Advantage, Supplemental, and Coordination of Benefits plans—this dataset is ideal for studying chronic conditions, cost/utilization trends, and unmet needs in aging populations. Unlike CMS data, MarketScan offers near real-time updates and preserves financial variability across plans. 

This expansion positions MarketScan as a powerful tool for researchers, payers, and life sciences teams seeking to generate robust evidence and accelerate innovation for older adults. 

Learn more about the Medicare database here or connect with our team for more details.

Earlier this month, we hosted a webinar featuring Jim Haulihan, principal, technology product management, MarketScan and Zainab Savliwala, senior analytic solution specialist, Health Insights, that sparked some great conversations: Unlocking value with Truven: Data-driven insights for digital health solutions 

Our experts shared real-world strategies to help digital health leaders demonstrate ROI, optimize engagement, and uncover new opportunities in specialty care. 

Key takeaways: 

• How MarketScan real-world data supports ROI and VOI for employers and health plans 
• Ways to assess product adherence, outcomes, and engagement 
• Insights into regional reimbursement trends for value-based care 

Catch the replay here: Watch now 

Blogs 

Every month, the MarketScan team discusses the latest in real-world data, with key perspectives and insights from our team of experts. 

Click here to read the latest. 

Spotlights for next quarter and beyond 

Upcoming quarter features will include deep dives into other MarketScan databases, our GlobalData podcast series, and future product launches. 

MarketScan is one of the largest collections of de-identified U.S. patient claims data; the closed system data includes patient encounters spanning the full continuum of care including inpatient, outpatient, and outpatient pharmacy sites of care.