The CO APCD
The Colorado All Payer Claims Database (CO APCD) is a state-legislated, secure health care claims database representing the vast majority of insured lives in Colorado.
What’s in the CO APCD?
The CO APCD is the state’s most comprehensive source of health care insurance claims information representing the majority of covered lives in the state across commercial health insurance plans, Medicare (Fee-for-Service and Advantage), and Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program).
Our Role
CIVHC and
CO APCD Data
CIVHC is the administrator of the CO APCD. Claims arrive from dozens of payers in different formats, and we architect that data so it’s accurate, consistent, and ready to use. Then we work alongside researchers, health care organizations, policymakers, employers, and communities to turn it into answers they can act on. As an independent, evidence-based nonprofit, we inform decisions without advocating for specific outcomes.
We make CO APCD data available in a variety of ways to help Coloradans, researchers, health care organizations, policymakers, and other partners better understand health care across the state.
Explore our free public data tools and reports for insights into health care cost, quality, access, utilization, and more, or access licensed datasets for deeper research and analysis tailored to your needs.
Our custom reports combine tailored data and analytics in a format designed to meet your project needs, helping turn complex health care information into useful insights.
Our program evaluation services help organizations measure impact, understand outcomes, and identify opportunities for improvement. We tailor each evaluation to your goals, audience, and community.
The Data Release Review Committee (DRRC) helps ensure that licensed CO APCD data is shared responsibly and appropriately. The committee reviews certain data requests and advises CIVHC on whether the proposed release meets privacy requirements and supports efforts to improve health care for Coloradans.
The CO APCD Insights Dashboard
Explore how many claims and people are represented in the CO APCD—and how that varies over time by claim type (medical, dental, pharmacy), payer type, and year.
Data Submission
Want to Submit CO APCD Data?
With the exception of Medicare Fee-for-Service and ERISA-based self-insured employer plans, the CO APCD statute and rule require payers to submit claims data on a monthly basis. ERISA-based self-insured employers can voluntarily submit claims to the database, and CIVHC receives Medicare Fee-for-Service claims through the state agency request program.
Claim Filed
A health care provider submits a claim for payment to the health insurance company or other payer (Medicare, Medicaid). This claim contains important information including charges, diagnosis, location, and services rendered.
Submission to CO APCD
After processing the payment, the insurance company securely submits the claims information to the CO APCD.
Resources for Data Submission
Have suggestions or questions? We’d love to hear from you.
Why The CO APCD?
Questions the CO APCD Data Can Answer
We can help you harness data to illuminate opportunities for action — improving lives and making health care more affordable and equitable for everyone.
What types of services are being utilized?
Is the ED being utilized as a source of care for non-urgent situations?
Why are health care costs increasing?
Does health care cost more in rural or urban counties?
What social factors are impacting health care utilization?
Are people using their insurance and does it differ by payer?
Do payments for similar services differ by setting and location?
Are Coloradans getting preventive tests and annual exams?