Publications

Every CIVHC publication is aimed at serving, engaging, educating, or amplifying Change Agents, thereby highlighting their good work and providing necessary information and tools to help them move forward.

Gender Affirming Care

Released: September 2022
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This analysis was conducted to understand the utilization of gender affirming care among transgender, gender diverse, and non-binary (TGDNB) youth and young adults over time. In 2017, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing’s (HCPF) Medical Services Board passed a statute for a comprehensive Medicaid transition-related care benefit. Through legislation passed in 2021, Colorado became the first state in the nation to require comprehensive gender-affirming care as part of minimum, or “benchmark,” health care plans sold on the individual and small group markets, which accounts for about a quarter of the state’s insured population. Plans must comply beginning in 2023.

Social Need Codes in the CO APCD

Released: March 2022
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This analysis measures the number of claims in the Colorado All Claims Database (CO APCD) with a Z code identifying a health-related social need. Z Codes became available in 2016 and are a subset of ICD 10 codes that identify non-medical factors (such as homelessness or unemployment) that may influence a patient's health status. This analysis explores the volume and percentage of people in the CO APCD with these claims by year (2016-2020), payer type (Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial payers), and by specific Z code. Although the codes have been available since 2016, this analysis indicates that adoption and use of these codes has been slow.

 

Obstetrics Emergency Department Claims

Released: February 2022
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This analysis shows the frequency of women receiving an additional Emergency Department (ED) charge with a normal labor and delivery. The data provides the volume and percentage of normal, routine vaginal deliveries with an additional ED charge, and provides breakouts by payer type (Medicaid or commercial), trends over time, and by ED facility severity level code. Average allowed amounts (patient and plan paid) for vaginal delivery in CO with and without an ED charge are also included.

COVID-19 Testing Price Variation

Released: August 2021
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With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, testing for the virus became a critical component of mitigating the spread. Many test options and locations became available and continue to offer testing options. This dataset explores price variation for COVID-19 testing based on where Coloradans received the test in terms of setting (ER, Outpatient facility, or Provider Administered), and by region across the state (DOI and rural vs. urban counties). In addition, prices are available by in and out-of-network provider to show variation in coverage options selected.

Anesthesiology, Radiology and Emergency Physician Payments

Released: May 2021
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This analysis provides median and 25th-75th percentile payment ranges for Anesthesiologists, Radiologists and Emergency Physicians for calendar year 2019. Claim counts and percent of claims and payments less than $3,000 are also available.

Top 300 Dental Procedures by Volume in the CO APCD

Released: April 2021
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The CO APCD contains dental claims submitted by payers who provide coverage in Colorado. This report identifies the top 300 dental procedures by volume from 2012-2020 that are available in the database. For more information on number of dental claims and people covered with dental insurance by payer, visit our CO APCD Insights Dashboard.

 

Race and Ethnicity Data in the CO APCD

Released: April 2021
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Two fields - Race and Hispanic Indicator -  became required for payers to submit to the CO APCD in September 2019. This file describes the state of data collection and capture of required and voluntary race and ethnicity information in the CO APCD. Please note that the data does not yet fully represent the race/ethnicity distribution in the CO APCD as all payers (public and private) are working on improving their data collection and submission. CIVHC continues to work with payers to improve these fields and is also working to bring in external sources of race, ethnicity and socioeconomic data into the data warehouse to enable more extensive analysis of health equity.

Top 100 Brand and Generic Commercial Prescription Drugs

Released: March 2021
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This analysis provides information on the top 100 generic and top 100 brand commercial prescription drugs from 2019 based on highest spend (total allowed amount) in the Colorado All Payer Claims Database (CO APCD).  Breakouts by plan and patient paid amounts are also available as well as price and utilization trend information for the top 100 drugs from 2016-2018.

Nurse Midwife Payment Evaluation

Released: December 2020
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The Nurse Midwife Payment Evaluation data set provides payment comparisons for common procedures provided by Nurse Midwives, OB/GYNs, Primary Care Providers, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. The data is available by payer (Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and commercial) and shows median and average paid amounts and 25th to 75th percentile paid amounts to allow users to understand variation in payments.

CO APCD Annual Reports