Putting Health Care Data on the Map

This white paper explores how geocoding—assigning precise geographic coordinates to patient addresses—in All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs) can enhance analyses seeking to address healthcare access, quality, and equity. 

 Geocoding supports these analyses through: 

• Linkages to neighborhood-level statistics that outline the socioeconomic conditions surrounding patients 
• Contributing to more precise calculations of the distance and travel time between patients and healthcare facilities  
• New data quality insights which can be used to identify and correct inaccuracies in patients’ residential address data.  

The authors include factors to consider when choosing the optimal geocoding tool for APCD administrators, healthcare professionals, and analysts working with geocoded data. Some examples are: 

• Cost of using the tool 
• Tool performance with large sets of addresses 
• Privacy protection capabilities 
• Availability of value-add data elements, such as geographic area identifiers needed for data linkages