Data can be a powerful component in strategies to improve public health and healthcare outcomes. Research, quality improvement activities, and program development and evaluation all require reliable data infrastructure. That’s why, more than a decade ago, our state established the Arkansas Healthcare Transparency Initiative, which includes an all-payer claims database, or APCD. To learn more about the role of APCDs and similar efforts underway around the country, we are joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Kevin McAvey, managing director of Manatt Health in New York and a recognized expert on state data assets.