Introduction: The Growing Importance of Data in Healthcare Outreach

In an era where data-driven strategies dominate healthcare marketing, understanding where and how to reach your most valuable prospects is critical. High-volume hospitals—those performing thousands of procedures annually represent the most lucrative sales opportunities for medical device companies, pharmaceutical reps, and health-tech solution providers.

But blindly approaching hospitals without knowing their patient volumes, treatment specialties, or procedure patterns often results in wasted time and resources. That’s where EMR (Electronic Medical Records) and claims data come into play.

These two data types offer unique but complementary insights: EMR data shows what happens inside the hospital—diagnoses, treatments, patient demographics—while claims data tells you what gets billed, how often, and at what reimbursement rate. When used together, they form a powerful engine for precise, efficient hospital targeting.

What Are EMR and Claims Data?

Before leveraging these datasets for sales and marketing, it’s essential to understand what they are and what value they offer.

EMR (Electronic Medical Records) Data

EMR data is clinical in nature and is collected during the process of patient care. It includes highly detailed information such as:

  • Patient demographics (age, gender, address, etc.)
  • Diagnosis history (ICD codes for diseases and conditions)
  • Prescriptions and medication logs
  • Treatment and procedure details
  • Lab results and diagnostic imaging
  • Physician and nurse notes

This data provides a deep look into how patients are being treated, which specialties are most active, and how often certain services are rendered. For marketers, it allows them to align their messaging with a hospital’s clinical focus areas.

Claims Data

Claims data is generated when healthcare providers bill insurers public or private for services rendered. Unlike EMR, which is generated during care, claims are generated post-care for reimbursement purposes. Claims data includes:

  • CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes: These represent procedures like MRIs, surgeries, biopsies, etc.
  • ICD codes (diagnoses and medical conditions)
  • DRG (Diagnosis-Related Groups) codes for inpatient hospitalizations
  • Reimbursement amounts
  • Payer information (Medicare, Medicaid, Private Insurance)

Claims data is particularly powerful because it reflects volume, frequency, and financial impact—the perfect combination to evaluate which hospitals are treating the most patients and generating the most revenue.

Why Focus on High-Volume Hospitals?

Not all hospitals are equal in terms of opportunity. High-volume hospitals, typically large facilities or academic medical centers, process significantly more patients and procedures compared to smaller community hospitals or specialty clinics.

Why They Matter:

  1. More Patients = Bigger Opportunity: Higher patient flow means more chances for your product or service to be adopted and used repeatedly.
  2. More Procedures = Greater Demand: Hospitals conducting hundreds of surgeries or diagnostic tests monthly need reliable medical devices, software, and pharmaceuticals.
  3. Specialized Departments: High-volume hospitals often have advanced departments like oncology, cardiology, and orthopedics—ideal targets for niche healthcare solutions.

How EMR Data Supports Hospital Targeting

EMR data is a goldmine for identifying which hospitals are treating which kinds of patients—and how often.

1. Understanding Patient Demographics

With EMR data, marketers can learn what types of patients a hospital typically treats. For example:

  • Does the hospital treat mostly seniors or younger patients?
  • Are chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension prevalent?
  • Is it a pediatric hospital or focused on geriatric care?

By aligning your product with these demographics, you’re more likely to gain traction in sales conversations.

Example: A company selling remote monitoring devices for elderly patients can prioritize hospitals with a large volume of geriatric visits in their EMR records.

2. Tracking Specialty-Specific Treatments

You can use EMR data to find hospitals that specialize in certain treatments or conditions. For instance:

  • High volume of echocardiograms = cardiology-focused
  • Frequent MRI scans = neurology or orthopedics
  • Numerous chemotherapy sessions = oncology specialization

How Claims Data Enhances Segmentation Strategy

While EMR shows internal clinical operations, claims data reveals what services are being billed for, which can be used to gauge hospital throughput, revenue potential, and case mix complexity.

1. Using CPT, ICD, and DRG Codes

  • CPT codes detail exact services (e.g., laparoscopic appendectomy, MRI of the brain).
  • ICD codes highlight the primary medical conditions being treated.
  • DRG codes group similar hospitalizations, useful for pricing and understanding resource use.

This allows marketers to determine which hospitals are doing the most procedures that align with their product.

Example: A company that sells knee implants can target hospitals frequently billing CPT codes related to total knee arthroplasty.

2. Analyzing Reimbursement and Payer Mix

Claims data shows how services are paid for—whether by Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance. This influences:

  • Hospital purchasing behavior
  • Budget availability
  • Willingness to invest in new technologies

Why Combining EMR & Claims Data Delivers Maximum ROI

Each dataset is powerful, but together they deliver exponential value. Here’s how:

  • EMR tells you what’s happening clinically
  • Claims tell you what’s being billed financially

By layering them, you can:

  • Identify high-value hospitals treating patients you care about
  • Validate that they perform the necessary procedures
  • Understand payer dynamics to assess deal value

Real-World Application:

Let’s say you’re marketing an infusion therapy device:

  • EMR Data: Shows that Hospital X logs 700+ chemotherapy treatments/month.
  • Claims Data: Confirms consistent billing for oncology DRG codes and high reimbursement.

Result: You build a hyper-relevant pitch and reach out directly to the oncology department decision-makers.

How to Access This Data: Platforms & Tools

Companies like Ampliz provide access to aggregated, de-identified healthcare data, including both EMR and claims datasets.

What to Look for in a Platform:

  • Comprehensive coverage of hospital networks and systems
  • Detailed procedure-level filters (ICD, CPT, DRG)
  • Contact information for key decision-makers like CMOs, procurement leads, and department heads
  • Built-in integration with CRM and automation tools

Steps to Build a Data-Driven Hospital Outreach Campaign

Once you’ve sourced the right data, it’s time to execute:

1. Segment by Volume and Specialty

Use the data to create refined lists:

  • Top 100 hospitals for orthopedic surgery
  • Hospitals performing 200+ cardiac caths/month
  • Hospitals with a high Medicare/Medicaid volume

2. Create Tailored Messaging

Leverage the hospital’s actual clinical and financial profile in your outreach.

Example: “We noticed your cardiology department treats over 1,500 patients per month and frequently bills CPT 93458. Our cardiac monitoring solution can help reduce post-procedure readmissions.”

3. Automate Multichannel Campaigns

Push your target list into:

  • CRM systems like Salesforce or HubSpot
  • Email and LinkedIn outreach tools
  • Sales cadences built around claims triggers

Staying Compliant with Healthcare Data

Using EMR and claims data requires strict adherence to data privacy laws, particularly HIPAA.

Best Practices:

  • Use de-identified, aggregate-level data
  • Work with compliant data providers
  • Ensure all outreach complies with CAN-SPAM and GDPR (if international)

Conclusion: The Future of Healthcare Sales is Data-Driven

In a world where competition for hospital attention is fierce, guesswork is no longer acceptable. To get in front of the right hospital decision-makers, you need to go beyond standard contact lists and embrace the power of integrated healthcare intelligence.

By using EMR and claims data together, you unlock the full picture—who your targets are, what they do, how much they do, and how best to approach them.

Need help getting started?
Let Ampliz help you build high-quality hospital prospect lists powered by EMR and claims data insights so you can target, engage, and convert smarter.