The Health Insurance Rate Review Division (HIRRD), a division of the Arkansas Insurance Department (AID), was awarded a Cycle III grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services/Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight to “Support Health Insurance Rate Review and Increase Transparency in Health Care Pricing.” The award included specific funding for an all-payer claims database (APCD). HIRRD conducted a national search and solicitation for qualified and competitive bidders. Following an extensive evaluation process, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI) was awarded the contract to establish an APCD for the State of Arkansas.

The Arkansas APCD includes claims data from Medicaid, Medicare, and fully-insured private plans operating in Arkansas with at least 2000 Arkansas enrollees. The Arkansas APCD will soon add hospital discharge and emergency department data for the uninsured, cancer registry data, birth and death records, and a flag for medical marijuana-qualifying patients.

Visit www.arkansasapcd.net for all Arkansas APCD related resources including fact sheets, stakeholder meeting materials, information about statewide and national-level health care system transparency efforts, and more.