The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) September HPD Quarterly Newsletter is designed to keep stakeholders informed on programmatic updates and ongoing stakeholder engagement.
HPD Program Updates
Public Reports
HCAI is excited to share that the HPD Program has released its second public report. The Healthcare Measures Report presents a series of visualizations that allow users to explore the care and characteristics of Californians within the HPD Program. The visualizations include data from 2018 to 2021 and 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. Utilization measures present 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. Please visit the HPD Healthcare Measures Report.
Please complete this brief survey to provide feedback on the HPD public reports.
Upcoming Trainings for Health and Dental Plan Data Collection
The HPD Program will be hosting webinar trainings to prepare both health and dental plans and submitters on various topics, including the transition to the APCD-CDLTM version 3.0.1, the opening of the 2024 annual HPD registration period, and implementation of dental plan submissions. An overview of the upcoming trainings is provided below. Additional information including how to register for each training will be forthcoming. Please reach out to hpd@hcai.ca.gov with any questions on the upcoming training opportunities.
APCD-CDLTM version 3.0.1 Transition
- Topics: Overview of APCD-CDLTM version 3.0.1 updates, review timeline for the transition to APCD-CDLTM version 3.0.1, and review recommended approach for file submission testing.
- Date: October 12, 2023, during the HPD Submitter Group Meeting.
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. PDT
- Register to attend the virtual meeting.
Annual HPD Submitter Registration
- Topic: Introduction to the annual HPD submitter registration process.
- Date: January 4, 2024
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. PDT
- Registration information is forthcoming.
Dental Data Overview & Implementation
- Topics: Overview of dental data and the APCD-CDLTM version 3.0.1 and next steps for existing and new HPD submitters.
- Date: January 11, 2024, during the HPD Submitter Group Meeting
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. PDT
- Registration information is forthcoming.
HPD Onboarding Training Series for New Dental Submitters
- Topics: Introduction to Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption and Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), overview and demonstration of the Onpoint Claims Data Manager (CDM) data collection portal, and overview of the Onpoint CDM variance request process and data submission best practices.
- Dates: TBD January through March 2024
HPD System Monthly Data File Submissions
The HPD Program is continuing to process ongoing monthly data file submissions from health plans and insurers and requesting data submitters to submit earlier in the month when possible. HCAI greatly appreciates the efforts of all data submitters in their timely submissions and those that have adjusted their submission schedules accordingly to meet HCAI’s request.
HCAI will be conducting ongoing and regular evaluation of data quality and completeness to support both public reporting and the release of non-public data. HCAI will submit a report to the Legislature including information on the quality and completeness of the database by March 1, 2024, which will include an assessment of the data that has been submitted and the percentage of the California population that is represented in the database.
Program Regulations
HCAI is preparing the following two regulations packages for the HPD Program. Please refer to the HCAI Laws & Regulations website to review all rulemaking documents.
- HPD Program Data Release Regulations. The HPD Data Use, Access, and Release regulations public comment period ended on July 18, 2023. HCAI is in the process of revising the proposed regulations text for a second public comment period.
- HPD Program Data Collection Regulations. The official 45-day public comment period for certification of the HPD Program Data Collection regulations began on
August 18, 2023, and will end on October 3, 2023. The purpose of the proposed regulations is to make revisions to and permanently adopt the December 2021 HPD Program emergency regulations. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the proposed regulatory text, and all associated documents can be found on the HPD Program website under the “Laws and Regulations” section.
HPD Funding Report
In 2018, the California Legislature provided $60 million in one-time funding to establish the HPD Program. The HPD statute requires HCAI to submit a report to the Legislature on recommendations for long-term funding options for the Program. On February 28, 2023, HCAI submitted the required report to the Legislature, outlining the HPD Program’s accomplishments to-date, a plan for future spending, and recommendations on long-term program funding options. Read the full report on the Long Term Funding Options for the HPD Program.
Participation in National Workgroups
HCAI continues to participate in the APCD Council’s APCD-CDL™ Data Maintenance Request (DMR) workgroup. Additionally, work continues with the National Association of Health Data Organizations (NAHDO) and the APCD Council on development of a national standard data collection file format for collecting non-claims based payment data.
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 regarding 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, and below is information on the most recent and upcoming meetings.
Upcoming October Meeting
On October 26, 2023, HCAI is hosting the next HPD Advisory Committee Meeting from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (PDT). The October HPD meeting will be held in person, and members of the public can attend in person or via Microsoft Teams. The meeting is anticipated to cover data access and release updates, non-claims based payment data as a follow-up from the January meeting, and public reporting priorities for 2024. The agenda and all other meeting materials will be posted on the HPD Advisory Committee website prior to the meeting.
Past July Meeting
HCAI hosted the July Advisory Committee Meeting on July 27, 2023. The meeting focused on the HPD System reaching a key milestone of going live as of July 1, a walkthrough of the initial public reports created with HPD data, and a discussion of data quality and completeness. Meeting materials are available on the July HPD Advisory Committee Meeting website.
HPD Data Release Committee
The 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 DRC convenes bi-monthly in 2023 but will move to monthly meetings in 2024 once they begin reviewing applications for non-public data. Below is information on the most recent and upcoming meetings.
Upcoming November Meeting
On November 7, 2023, HCAI is hosting the next DRC Meeting. The meeting is anticipated to cover adoption of the Board Manual as well as a holistic overview of the data release process including user fees, data use agreement, criteria for decision making, data request portal and the research data enclave. The meeting will be held in person and allow members of the public to attend in person or via Microsoft Teams. More information on how to attend the meeting will be shared closer to the meeting date. The agenda and all other meeting materials will be posted on the HPD DRC website prior to the meeting.
Past May and June Meetings
HCAI hosted DRC meetings on May 2, June 6, and September 5, 2023. The May and June meetings focused on exploring the potential use cases for HPD data products, the various roles in the data release and review process, overviews of the HPD application, data use agreements, and a more in-depth look at the standard limited datasets. The September meeting offered an overview of data quality and completeness, including for medical and pharmacy services, claims and encounter characteristics, race and ethnicity, and sexual orientation and gender identity, and a review of the draft DRC Board Manual. Previous DRC meeting materials are available on the HPD DRC website under the “Meetings Archive” section.
HPD Submitter Group
The HPD Submitter Group provides a forum for HPD Data Submitters to receive the latest information on submission requirements, troubleshoot data submissions, and address any 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, and below is information on the most recent and upcoming meetings.
Upcoming October Meeting
The fourth HPD Submitter Group meeting of 2023 will be held on October 12, 2023. Anticipated topics will highlight key HPD Program updates, including the status of production file submissions, a presentation on data quality and completeness, and training on the APCD-CDLTM version 3.0.1 transition. The agenda and all other meeting materials will be posted on the HPD Program Submitters website prior to the meeting. Please register to attend the virtual meeting.
Past July Meeting
The third HPD Submitter Group meeting of 2023 was held on July 13, 2023, and focused on production file submission status, HPD Program public reporting updates, dental plan data submission outreach, and the transition to the APCD-CDLTM version 3.0.1. The notice of meeting and presentation materials are available on the HPD Program Submitters website.
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 website 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.
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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:
