Health Care Payments Data (HPD)

Data and Reports#

HCAI is required to produce publicly available information from the database, including data products and analytic reports, to support the goals of the program. The HPD Advisory Committee is responsible for advising HCAI on principles and priorities for public reporting.

HCAI anticipates continuing to advance the accessibility and usefulness of HPD public reports as the database becomes more comprehensive and complete and HCAI builds its capacity over time.

HPD Public Meetings#

HPD Program Advisory Committee#

HCAI is required to convene an HPD Program Advisory Committee comprised of health care stakeholders and experts to assist and advise the HCAI Director in formulating program policies regarding data collection, management, use, access, and development of public information to meet the goals of the HPD Program. The committee does not have decision-making authority related to the administration of the database but will serve as a forum for stakeholder and public engagement on policy decisions, while fostering accountability and transparency.

HPD Data Release Committee#

HCAI is required to convene a Data Release Committee (DRC) to advise on requests for access to non-public data.

The DRC is made up of subject matter experts representing key stakeholder groups including: consumers, labor, providers (both at clinician and hospital levels), payers, purchasers, suppliers, and researchers.

The DRC is an integral part of the HPD Program and will be supporting HCAI to:

• Lay the foundation for HPD data access and release and contribute to the launch of an effective and credible Data Release Program
• Advise HCAI on relevant policies and processes
• Participate in thoughtful deliberation to weigh broad use of HPD data and public benefit to Californians with protection of patient privacy  
• Review and make recommendations to HCAI on access to and release of non-public HPD data

HPD Program Submitter Group Meetings#

HCAI convenes quarterly submitter group meetings to provide a forum for HPD data submitters to receive updated information on data submission requirements and regulations, technical guidance, and high-level data quality and plan engagement efforts.

Frequently Asked Questions#

HCAI has gathered frequently asked questions about what we collect, who submits data, who can access the data collected, and how HCAI ensures privacy and security for the data we collect, and much more. Please use the link below if you do not see a question that you have on this page. If there is a question that is not addressed, please reach out to us at hpd@hcai.ca.gov

What data does the HPD System collect?

The HPD System currently collects administrative data, including claims and encounters generated by transactions among payers and providers on behalf of insured individuals. This includes the following data files: Member Eligibility, Medical Claims, Pharmacy Claims, Dental Claims, and Provider Data.

On March 25, 2025, the HPD System began collecting Non-Claims Payment (NCP) data, including Capitation Files, Annual Payment Files, and Pharmacy Rebate Files. Please see the Non-Claims Payment Fact Sheet for additional information and frequently asked questions about NCP data submission.

Who submits data to the HPD System? 

The HPD collects claim and encounter data from healthcare payers such as health plans, insurers, and dental plans. The HPD Program collects healthcare data for over 30 million Californians each year sourced from: the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) for Medi-Cal members; the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for Medicare fee-for-service members; and health plans and insurers for those with employer-based, individual, or Medicare Advantage coverage. Private, self-insured companies interested in reducing costs and improving system performance will be encouraged to participate in the HPD Program on a voluntary basis.

Who can access HPD data?

The public can access HPD data through publicly available information, including data products and analytics that HCAI produces from the database. In addition, applications are now open for access to non-public HPD data. To apply for HPD datasets, please begin by registering an account on the HCAI Data Request Portal. Visit the HPD Data Access and Release for complete application instructions and more information about how to access non-public data. Individual patient-level data is exempt from the disclosure requirements of the California Public Records Act.

How will the HPD Program ensure data privacy, confidentiality, and security?

With the establishment of the HPD Program, HCAI is implementing further specific privacy and security protocols to safeguard the health care data of Californians. Health and Safety Code (HSC) sections 127671 to 127674.1 establish strong privacy and security standards for the HPD System.

Access to personally identified data collected by the HPD is only authorized for eligible uses and after appropriate approvals have been granted. Only eligible and authorized entities, such as university researchers, may obtain appropriate access to individual-level data for the purposes of data linkage and longitudinal research study. The HPD data may not be used for determinations regarding individual patient care or treatment nor for any individual eligibility or coverage decisions. The HPD data are exempt from the California Public Records Act.

HCAI is required to convene a Data Release Committee made up of representatives of health care payers, providers, suppliers, purchasers, researchers, consumers, and laborers. The Data Release Committee makes recommendations to HCAI on the release of HPD data to authorized entities. Members of the Data Release Committee are required to have experience with health care data, privacy, and security and will provide input on policies and procedures related to controlling access to non-public data. The use of a secure data enclave will further ensure the security and confidentiality of the data. The Data Release Committee must review all requests for access outside the secure data enclave. For considering use outside the enclave, enhanced security and privacy controls will need to be met. Before accessing the data, requestors will be required to sign the HPD Data Use Agreement that requires recipients of HPD data to maintain its security and protect consumer privacy. To learn more about how HCAI protects the data we receive and manage, please visit the HCAI Data Resources Webpage.

Fact Sheets #

HCAI has one-page sheets that are informative and good resources for reference.

• HPD Program Implementation Fact Sheet (December 2025)
• Non-Claims Payment Data Submission Fact Sheet (March 2026)
• Pharmacy Benefit Manager Data Submission Fact Sheet (July 2025)

Subscribe to HPD News#

To sign-up for the Healthcare Payments Database News list and receive regular informational updates about the program, fill out the form below. Use the subscribe page to signup for other HCAI mailing lists.
Read the HCAI Privacy Notice on Data Collection/Conditions of Use.