The State All Payer Claims Databases Advisory Committee (SAPCDAC) was established in 2021 by Section 735 of ERISA (as added by section 115(b) of the No Surprises Act, enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 (Dec. 27, 2020)). The SAPCDAC advised the Secretary of Labor on the standardized reporting format for the voluntary reporting by group health plans to State All Payer Claims Databases, as well as guidance provided to States on the process by which States may collect such data. The SAPCDAC submitted a report that includes recommendations on the establishment of the format and guidance by June 25, 2021.

Appointment Process

Vacancies for the Committee were announced in a Federal Register Notice.

Any interested person or organization nominated one or more qualified individuals (self-nominations were also accepted). Each nomination included the following information:

  1. A letter of nomination

    that contains contact information for both the nominator and nominee (if not the same).

  2. A statement from the nominee

    that he or she is willing to serve on the Committee if appointed, will attend and participate in Committee meetings regularly, and has no conflicts of interest that would preclude Committee membership.

  3. Category or categories of stakeholders

    designated by the statute that the nominee is willing to represent, along with an explanation of interest in serving on the Committee. For self-nominations, this information may be included in the nomination letter.

  4. A curriculum vitae

    that indicates the nominee’s educational experience, as well as relevant professional experience.

  5. Two letters of reference

    that support the nominee’s qualifications for participation on the Committee. For nominations other than self-nominations, a nomination letter that includes information supporting the nominee’s qualifications may be counted as one of the letters of reference. Please do not include information that you do not want publicly disclosed.

Anyone currently subject to federal registration requirements as a lobbyist was not eligible for appointment to this Committee.

Nominations were submitted to SAPCDACnominations@dol.gov by March 16, 2021.

Members appointed to serve on the Committee were those candidates determined to have the technical expertise required to meet specific statutory categories and Departmental needs and in a manner intended to ensure an appropriate balance of membership. Selection of committee membership was consistent with achieving the greatest impact, scope, and credibility among diverse stakeholders.

Once the nomination period closed, nominations were reviewed and nominees under consideration for appointment were vetted. DOL contacted nominees for information on their status as registered lobbyists. Anyone subject to federal registration requirements as a lobbyist was not eligible for appointment to this Committee. Additionally, nominees were evaluated in accordance with Secretary’s Order 10-2020 (85 FR 71104) to ensure they were financially independent from the Department programs and activities for which they may have been called upon to provide advice. Follow-up communications with nominees occured as necessary throughout the process. Recommendations were submitted to the Secretary for consideration and the Secretary appointed the Committee members.

On January 5, 2021, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published in the Federal Register their Request for SAPCDAC nominations due January 27, 2021. More information regarding the GAO’s work with health care advisory committees can be found here.

Advisory Committee Members

  • Maureen Mustard

    Director of Health Analytics, New Hampshire Insurance Department – Committee Chair.

  • Stefan Gildemeister

    Minnesota State Health Economist and Director of Health Economics Program – Representative of a State All-Payer Claims Database.

  • Carol DeFrances

    Acting Director of NCHS Division of Health Care Statistics – Representative of the National Center for Health Statistics.

  • Allison Oelschlaeger

    Chief Data Officer at CMS and Director in CMS Office of Enterprise Data & Analytics – Representative of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

  • Dr. Tricia Lee Rolle

    Senior Advisor in Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology – Representative of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

  • Linda Sanches

    Senior Advisor for Health Information Technology, HHS Office for Civil Rights Health Information Privacy Division – Representative of the Office for Civil Rights, HHS.

  • Dr. Herbert Wong

    Director of Division of Statistical Research and Methods in Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – Representative of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

  • Emma Hoo, Director

    Pay for Value, Pacific Business Group on Health – Representative of Employer Sponsor of a Group Health Plan.

  • Mike Kapsa

    Chief Financial Officer, Solidaritus Health Inc.; and Chief Economist, America’s Agenda – Representative of Employee Organization Sponsor of a Group Health Plan.

  • Dr. Cheryl Damberg

    Principal Sr. Economist, Director, Center of Excellence on Health System Performance, RAND Corporation – Academic Researcher.

  • Frederick Isasi

    Executive Director, Families USA – Consumer Advocate.

  • Niall Brennan

    President & CEO, Health Care Cost Institute – Additional Member.

  • Josephine Porter

    Director, Institute for Health Policy and Practice, University of New Hampshire; co-chair of the APCD Council – Additional Member.

  • Susan Queen

    Senior Advisor for Data Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation – Representative of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.