Dear Colorado Health Care Payers,

As it so frequently happens, the hustle and bustle of life can distract us from what truly matters. While we strive to make it through our busy days, we sometimes forget to stop and say the important things. That is why I am taking a moment to thank you for being instrumental in making the Colorado All Payer Claims Database (CO APCD) the success it is today.

As part of the Colorado health insurance community, you’ve been wonderful, supportive partners of CIVHC and the CO APCD since we started working together to lay the groundwork for the database in 2010. Together we learned how to build the CO APCD through submission and intake lessons, discussions about data elements, and frequent conversations about the process. You’ve overcome staffing and technology challenges to submit the best data possible each month and continue to work diligently with us to improve submission times and the quality of the data.

As the years have gone by, we’ve collaboratively worked through annual changes to the Data Submission Guide, some minor and many significant, adding new data elements to enhance the value the CO APCD provides to stakeholders. With each new update, we work together to incorporate the new data into the intake process without sacrificing the validity of the millions of claims already being submitted monthly.

As submitters of the data, you are at the forefront of the pursuit for credible and actionable CO APCD data. Claims data is inherently challenging to submit and collect effectively, and there are a million ways claim information can go awry, from input errors, to file formatting errors, or simply not having a required field populated. No month is the same in regards to specific issues in the world of claims submission to the CO APCD, and your teams diligently work through any concerns that arise to ensure the best data possible gets submitted.

The robust CO APCD we have today would not exist without your support and cooperation and it is our honor to work alongside you to continue to foster this valuable resource. Organizations, individuals and communities across the state rely on information in the CO APCD to inform positive health care changes for all Coloradans, and it cannot be done without the underlying, comprehensive data you provide. Moving into the next five years, we look forward to continuing the amazing work we do together to improve the lives of Coloradans.

Ana English

CEO and President

Center for Improving Value in Health Care