Federal source families
CMS, HHS-OIG, HRSA, and related public administrative sources.
Providers in scope
Broad NPPES-derived provider universe for aggregate reporting context.
Historical records
Source-registry records counted separately where public files overlap.
Answer first
Answer-first capsule for public-records reporting.
A newsroom should not have to bury the finding under caveats. Fonteum gives reporters the top-line answer first, then the trail: source family, snapshot date, methodology version, field limitation, and the public route where the editor can inspect the backing record.
Answer: [FIGURE] across [POPULATION]. Source trail: [SOURCE FAMILY] · [SNAPSHOT DATE]. Method: [METHODOLOGY VERSION]. Limitation: [KNOWN SOURCE LIMITATION]. Re-check: fonteum.com/verify/[SNAPSHOT].
Re-check line · signed trail
Give the editor a sentence they can re-run.
The re-check line is the newsroom edge: the exact source, date, method, and signed snapshot behind a figure. A reporter can publish the number, an editor can re-check it, and a reader can see the limitation without needing a vendor statement.
Start with the reporting surface at /research, inspect the source catalog at /sources, and send the signed artifact through /verify.
SOURCE
Federal source family and upstream URL are attached to the record.
DATE
Snapshot date and refresh context travel with the figure.
LIMIT
Known source limitations are visible before publication.
SIGN
Signed and attested snapshots let a newsroom re-check the same trail later.
Time-machine edge
See what the record said when the story ran.
Public datasets change. Agencies revise files, fields appear or disappear, and stale screenshots leave reporters exposed. Fonteum preserves snapshot context so a published figure remains re-checkable against the version that existed at publication time. That is the time-machine edge.
Lead with the answer
Start from the aggregate figure, then open the trail behind it: source family, snapshot date, method, limitation, and export context.
Show the re-check line
Every cited figure should carry the sentence an editor can rerun later: source, date, methodology version, and the public page where the trail lives.
Keep the receipts chained
Snapshots, attestations, and corrections are chained so a published number can be compared against the version available on deadline.
Stay aggregate and factual
Fonteum is for public-records reporting, not eligibility decisions, not consumer-reporting, and not provider endorsement.
NEWSROOM EVIDENCE
Publish the figure, then show the dated public trail behind it.
Aggregate · factual · FCRA-safe
Public records for reporting, not provider judgment.
Fonteum helps a newsroom cite public administrative records. It does not certify a provider, rank providers for readers, or turn public files into a consumer-reporting product. Use the aggregate signal, cite the source, and show the limitation.
For exclusion and sanctions context, route readers to the public screening workflow at /screening.
Provider universe
providers in the broad public-records frame.
Use that scale for context, then narrow the story to the source family that supports the claim. The trail matters more than the headline number: source, date, limitation, and signed snapshot.
Browse the source catalog →Next step
Bring the source trail before the story locks.
Start with the public research library, then use /verify for signed artifacts when a chart, claim, or aggregate figure needs a durable trail.