Episode grouper software things?

Does anyone have experience with products like the Optum or 3M software?

We are considering purchasing one. And I understand what they are trying to do, but I've never used one. So I'll ask here for any comments on what they might do well, what shortcomings they may have, etc. What is the user experience like? I've never seen one in action, though I'll be requesting demos from the vendors shortly.

Note: I live on the provider side. I'm not trying to do reserving, or setting rates. I'm interested in analyzing total cost of care by category of service, looking for cost trends, etc. We do analytics and report on clinical/quality/financial outcomes. We're workin' on that triple-aim thing.


Episode grouper software things?