A machine learning system and method utilizing artificial intelligence that improves the provisioning of healthcare and reduces the total cost of healthcare and lost productivity. The approach creates a quantifiable assessment of quality and a ranking number measuring a provider's quality of healthcare services. The machine learning system makes a determination of quality based on a clinical evaluation database, an employee related time and attendance database, and a costing database. The system analyzes how quickly a provider returns an employee to work at or near pre-absence productivity and at what cost. The system creates a ranking number that provides employees with a comparison of providers. Employees may then be incentivized to seek high value providers.