Season 1 · Episode 2

The Invisible Giant

NPI 1417262056 billed $7.18 billion over seven years — 90 million claims, 35,000 per day. But its identity is redacted. Who is the invisible giant?

Thursday, January 22, 2026|~10.5 min

I have a number. I have billing data. But I don't know who this is.

Key Findings

  • 90 million claims from one provider (35,000/day)
  • Identity redacted in official NPI registry
  • 18% of providers account for 80% of spending

Data Points

Top 5 providers: ~27% of all spending

Top 10 providers: $37B (3.4% of total)

Cost variation: $79.95/claim vs $1,156/claim (14x difference)

Transcript