The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) December HPD Program Quarterly Newsletter is designed to keep stakeholders informed on programmatic updates and ongoing stakeholder engagement.
HPD Program Updates
Data Access and Release
The HPD Program Data Use, Access, and Release Regulations were approved by the Office of Administrative Law and filed with the Secretary of State on November 25, 2024. The regulations can be found on the HPD Program webpage under the “Laws and Regulations” section.
This critical step paves the way for the official opening of applications, allowing researchers, state agencies, and other qualified applicants to access non-public HPD data.
To apply for HPD datasets, please begin by registering an account on HCAI’s Data Request Portal. Then complete and submit a detailed application, including a description of your research, data needs, and privacy measures. Visit HCAI’s HPD Data Access and Release webpage for more information.
An informational webinar will be conducted on January 15, 2025, for interested applicants. Subscribe to the HPD mailing list to be notified when more information becomes available.
Public Reporting
HCAI published an update to the HPD Measures: Health Conditions, Utilization, and Demographics Report. This latest version now offers an option to view the data for Los Angeles County broken down by Service Planning Areas (SPAs) and incorporates 2021 Medicare fee-for-service data, which was not available in the previous version. Medicare fee-for-service data is collected according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data release schedule, which can result in a lag in data availability. Additionally, some data submitters were not able to submit data in time for inclusion previously. For the 2024 Measures Report, all mandatory submitters’ data was received for the reporting period and are included.
The Measures Report presents a series of visualizations that allow users to explore the care and characteristics of Californians within the HPD. The visualizations cover three measurement categories: health conditions, utilization, and demographics. The health conditions measurements quantify the prevalence of long-term illnesses and major medical events, such as diabetes, asthma, and heart failure, in California’s communities. The utilization measures convey rates of healthcare system use through visits to the emergency department and different categories of inpatient stays, such as maternity or surgical stays. The demographic measures describe the health coverage and other characteristics (e.g., age group) of the Californians included in the data.
The October HPD Advisory Committee meeting focused on public reporting priorities. HCAI presented reports and visualizations that have been completed and discussed reports and analyses in various stages of development.
Program Regulations
HCAI has prepared the following regulations packages for the HPD Program.
- HPD Program Data Release Regulations. On November 22, 2024, HCAI submitted the final HPD Data Use, Access and Release regulations package to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL). The regulation package was approved by OAL and filed with the Secretary of State on November 25, 2024. Please refer to the HCAI Laws & Regulations website to review all rulemaking documents.
- HPD Program Non-Claims Payment Data Collection Regulations. Non-claims payments are identified as information that submitters must provide to HPD as described in Health and Safety Code section 127673. HCAI released the non-claims payment regulations for initial 45-day public comment from August 2, 2024 to September 17, 2024. HCAI published revised regulations and added a document to the rulemaking package on November 6, 2024, opening a 15-day comment period through November 22, 2024. HCAI anticipates NCP regulation adoption in early 2025. Please refer to the HCAI Laws & Regulations website to review all rulemaking documents.
HPD Dental Plan Data Collection
Dental plans and submitters must be registered with the HPD Program through the Onpoint Health Data Claims Data Manager (CDM) prior to submitting data. Below are important dates for dental plans and submitters to be aware of regarding dental data collection:
- Historical dental data files for the period from June 29, 2017, through December 2021 were to be submitted by October 31, 2024.
- Dental plans will follow the Monthly Production Submission Schedule and submit November 2024 data by January 1, 2025.
- All remaining dental data for the period beginning January 2022 through October 2024 must be submitted by February 3, 2025.
Please refer to California Code of Regulations Sections 97340, 97351, and 97352 for more information about these requirements.
Annual Plan and Submitter Registration
Annual Registration for the HPD program for plans opens on January 1, 2025 and is due by January 31, 2025. Submitter registration opens February 1, 2025 and is due by February 28,2025.
As part of the upcoming Non-Claims Payment (NCP) data collection, plans and submitters will have the option to register for NCP file submission. Information regarding the proposed regulations for NCP data file collection can be found on HCAI’s Laws & Regulations webpage.
The following NCP file types will be added to the annual registration process for 2025:
- Annual Payments
- Pharmacy Rebates
- Capitation Submissions
If you will not be submitting any of the above-mentioned data files, or you do not know if your organization will be submitting NCP data files, please leave these sections blank. Plans and submitters will have another opportunity to update their registration for NCP file submission later in the year.
Please reach out to hpd@hcai.ca.gov if you have any questions regarding NCP data collection. If you need assistance with the updated registration form, please contact hpd-support@onpointhealthdata.org.
HPD System Monthly Data File Submissions
HCAI greatly appreciates the efforts of all data submitters in their timely submissions and those that have adjusted their submission schedules to an earlier-in-the-month timeframe. Data submitters are encouraged to reach out to the HCAI team if there are any concerns with meeting the reporting deadline.
HCAI continues to conduct ongoing and regular evaluation of data quality and completeness to support both public reporting and the release of non-public data. HCAI is building annual plan reports and began meeting with plans to share the reports in May 2024. The reports include an executive summary, data visuals, and questions tailored to each plan and submitter. The annual plan reports will include a feedback loop for plans to share their experiences, provide an opportunity for plans to validate their data, inform HCAI about best practices across the commercial sector, and provide additional insight for public reporting of HPD data. HPD program staff will continue to reach out to plans on an ongoing basis to schedule a walk-through of these reports.
HPD Stakeholder Engagement
HPD Program Advisory Committee
The HPD Program Advisory Committee is comprised of health care stakeholders and experts to assist and advise the HCAI Director in formulating program policies about data collection, data management, data use, data access, and the development of public information to meet the goals of the HPD Program. The HPD Program Advisory Committee convenes quarterly.
Upcoming January Meeting
HCAI is hosting the next HPD Program Advisory Committee meeting on January 23, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The January meeting will be held in a hybrid format where committee members and members of the public can attend in person at the Sacramento office or online via Microsoft Teams. Anticipated meeting topics include a discussion of program strategy, including a “year in review” and discussion of future topics of strategic importance to the program, such as the provider organization index pilot project and use cases for benefit design data. The agenda and all other meeting materials will be posted on the HPD Program Advisory Committee webpage prior to the meeting.
Past Meetings
HCAI hosted a meeting on October 24, 2024, which focused on public reporting priorities. HCAI presented reports and visualizations that have been completed and discussed reports and analyses in various stages of development. Previous Advisory Committee meeting materials are available on the webpage under the “Meetings Archive” section.
HPD Data Release Committee
The HPD Data Release Committee (DRC) is integral in supporting the implementation and administration of the HPD Program and advises HCAI on the release of HPD data. The HPD DRC convenes monthly, unless otherwise stated. Below is information on the most recent and upcoming meetings.
Upcoming March Meeting
HCAI is hosting the next HPD DRC meeting on March 19, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in a hybrid format where committee members attend in person at the Sacramento or Los Angeles offices, while members of the public can join in person or online via Microsoft Teams. Meeting topics includes a review of the initial data use requests requiring the DRC’s recommendation for approval. The agenda and all other meeting materials will be posted on the HPD DRC webpage prior to the meeting.
Past Meetings
During the meeting on November 20, 2024, the DRC heard from representatives for the Connecticut and Arkansas All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs) and discussed federal health care price transparency requirements. Previous DRC meeting materials are available on the HPD DRC webpage under the “Meetings Archive” section.
HPD Submitter Group
The HPD Program Submitter Group provides a forum for HPD Data Submitters to receive the latest information on submission requirements, troubleshoot data submissions, and address other technical issues related to data submission. These meetings are intended for entities required to submit or are supporting the submission of data to the HPD System. The HPD Submitter Group convenes quarterly.
Upcoming January Meeting
The HPD Submitter Group will meet January 9, 2025. Please register to attend the virtual meeting. Anticipated meeting topics include introducing new staff, key program updates, the status of production file submissions, and plan and submitter registration review. The agenda and all other meeting materials will be posted on the HPD Program Submitters Group webpage prior to the meeting.
Past Meetings
The most recent HPD Program Submitter Group meeting was held on October 10, 2024, and focused on the status of production file submissions, a review of data quality assurance and improvement, and a review of the Pharmacy Cost Dashboard. Presentation materials are available on the HPD Submitter Group webpage.
HPD Program Submitter Resources
The HPD Program Submitters webpage offers submitter training materials under the Submitter Resources section. The training materials are provided by Onpoint Health Data to help HPD Program Submitters with registering and submitting files through the CDM. The Frequently Asked Questions section also provides information on registration and data submission. Please contact Onpoint Health Data at hpd-support@onpointhealthdata.org to view the training videos.
About the HPD Program
Assembly Bill 80 (Chapter 12, Statutes of 2020) provides HCAI the authority to establish the HPD Program. The HPD System is California’s All-Payer Claims Database, or APCD, and is intended to support greater health care cost transparency, inform policy decisions supporting quality health care, and reduce health care costs and disparities.
Watch the video below to learn more about the HPD Program. Also visit HCAI’s HPD Program webpage or email hpd@hcai.ca.gov for any questions. Subscribe to “Healthcare Payments Database News” to receive future newsletters if this newsletter was forwarded to you.
How does the HPD Collect and Report Data?
Find out by watching the video below.
HPD Program Careers
Are you interested in joining the HCAI Team? Click below to watch for job opportunities coming soon to support the HPD Program:
