Health Economist

The Opportunity

Healthcare costs are rising, and employers and health plans need proof that digital MSK solutions deliver measurable savings. As a Health Economist at Hinge Health, you'll be the analytical engine behind our commercial success—designing and executing rigorous ROI studies that demonstrate how our platform transforms member outcomes while reducing costs for over 20 million lives. You'll translate complex claims data into compelling narratives that close deals, inform product strategy, and publish groundbreaking research that positions Hinge Health as the evidence-based leader in digital MSK care.

What You'll Accomplish

In your first 3 months, you will:

• Build relationships with Client Success, Marketing, and Commercial teams to understand their analytical needs and prioritize high-impact ROI studies

• Audit existing health economics methodologies and identify opportunities to streamline study designs while maintaining rigor

• Complete your first client-facing cost analysis, presenting preliminary findings to internal stakeholders

In your first 6 months, you will:

• Lead end-to-end execution of claims-based ROI studies, including vendor coordination for data acquisition, data transformation in SQL/Python, and analysis using advanced econometric methods

• Partner with Client Success teams to present study results to external clients (health plan analysts, actuaries), translating technical findings into actionable insights

• Contribute to clinical study design by identifying key health economics endpoints and measurement strategies

In your first year, you will:

• Own the health economics research agenda for a specific MSK condition or product line (e.g., chronic back pain, women's pelvic health), acting as the go-to expert for commercial teams

• Publish at least one peer-reviewed manuscript or conference presentation that elevates Hinge Health's thought leadership in digital health economics

• Build reusable data pipelines from Hinge Health's claims and EHR warehouse (Databricks) that reduce study turnaround time by 30%

Who You Are

A Learn-it-all: You stay on the cutting edge of MSK and digital health research, constantly refining your methods and bringing new ideas to the team.

You don't just replicate studies—you improve them.

A Translator: You fluently speak both "data science" and "business," effortlessly moving between technical discussions with actuaries and strategic conversations with commercial leaders.

You know when to prioritize speed over perfection to meet commercial deadlines.

Accountable: You balance multiple competing priorities—ad hoc client requests, long-term research projects, and internal cross-functional needs—without dropping the ball.

You meet commitments and communicate proactively when timelines shift.

Hustler with Rigor: You find creative solutions to data limitations and study design challenges, always delivering defensible, high-quality results that can withstand external scrutiny.

Basic Requirements

• Graduate degree (Master's or PhD) in health economics, health services research, epidemiology, or a related quantitative field

• 3-5 years of experience using applied econometric methods (e.g., casual inference, cost-effectiveness analysis, budget impact modeling) to address healthcare cost questions

• 3-5 years of hands-on experience working with large-scale commercial, Medicare, or Medicaid claims databases, including understanding of medical billing practices and health insurance structures

• Fluent programming skills in R, SQL, and/or Python for data manipulation, statistical analysis, and visualization

Preferred Requirements

• PhD in health economics or health services research

• 2-5 years of experience with Databricks, Snowflake, or similar cloud-based data platforms

• Prior publication record in peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Health Affairs, Medical Care, JAMA) or experience presenting at academic/industry conferences

• Experience in digital health or MSK care, including familiarity with value-based care models and population health analytics

• Familiarity with AI tools (e.g., Claude, GitHub Copilot) for accelerating code development and data analysis

Hinge Health Hybrid Model

We believe that remote work and in-person work have their own advantages and disadvantages, and we want to be able to leverage the best of both worlds. Employees in hybrid roles are required to be in the office 3 days per week, for the full 8 hours of a typical business day. The San Francisco office has a dog-friendly workplace program.

About Hinge Health

At Hinge Health, we’re using technology to scale and automate the delivery of healthcare, starting with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, which affect over 1.7 billion people worldwide. Our AI-powered, human-centered care model spans MSK, pelvic health, gastrointestinal (GI) and migraine care. With over 60 partnerships with health plans, PBMs and other ecosystem partners, Hinge Health is available to over 25 million people across more than 2,900 employers. The company is headquartered in San Francisco with additional offices in Montreal and Bangalore. Learn more at hingehealth.com.

What You’ll Love About Us

• Inclusive healthcare and benefits: On top of comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, we offer employees and their family members help with gender-affirming care, tools for family and fertility planning, and travel reimbursements if healthcare isn’t available where you live.

• Planning for the future: Start saving for the future with our traditional or Roth 401k retirement plan options which include a 2% company match.

• Modern life stipends: Manage your own learning and development.

• Grow with us: Grow with us through discounted company stock through our ESPP with easy payroll deductions.

Culture & Engagement

Hinge Health is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. We make employment decisions without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. We provide reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you feel you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, let us know by reaching out to your recruiter.

By submitting your application you are acknowledging we are using your personal data as outlined in the personnel and candidate privacy policy.

Beware of Phishing Attempts: We've noticed an increase in phishing where fraudsters impersonate employees and send fake job offers to steal sensitive information. We'll never ask for financial details during the hiring process and only use "@hingehealth.com" emails. If you receive a suspicious offer, stop communication and report it to the US FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. To verify an email from our recruiting team, forward it to security@hingehealth.com.

The Health Economist designs and delivers evidence-based analyses of healthcare costs and outcomes for Hinge Health’s digital musculoskeletal care. The role applies econometric methods to claims data, supports client and commercial decisions, and contributes to research publications and reusable data workflows.

Role at a glance

Skills mentioned

What you will likely work on

• Design, execute, and improve rigorous ROI studies using healthcare claims data.
• Coordinate data acquisition and transform and analyze data with SQL or Python and econometric methods.
• Present cost and outcomes findings to internal teams and external health plan clients.
• Identify health economics endpoints and measurement strategies for clinical studies.
• Develop reusable claims and EHR data pipelines to shorten study turnaround.
• Shape research for a condition or product area and publish or present findings.
• Work across commercial, client success, marketing, and research teams to prioritize analyses.

Good fit signals

• Has a graduate degree in health economics, health services research, epidemiology, or a related quantitative field.
• Brings 3–5 years applying econometric methods to healthcare cost questions and working with large claims databases.
• Can work with R, SQL, and/or Python for data manipulation, statistical analysis, and visualization.
• Can explain technical findings to both analytical healthcare audiences and commercial stakeholders.
• Experience with cloud data platforms, publication, digital health, MSK care, or AI coding tools is helpful, but preferred rather than required.