What to Ask an EVV Software Vendor Before You Sign

Short answer: In Colorado, EVV software is something you choose to pay for, because the state offers its own system at no cost. So before you sign, ask what a sales demo will not show you: whether the vendor has already connected to Sandata in Colorado, who does the interface testing, how you see a rejected visit, what happens when transmission fails, how you get your records out, and what the whole thing costs. HCPF, the state Medicaid agency, holds your agency responsible for its EVV records whichever system you use, so these answers matter more to you than to the vendor.

This article is written against the HCPF pages named in the sources line, read on November 9, 2026, and two HCPF fact sheets read on November 5. HCPF changes them, so check the current versions. If you have not yet decided whether to leave the state's system, start with our comparison of Provider Choice and the state's system. For the path a visit takes, read how an alternate EVV system reports visits to the state.

First, price the free option

HCPF's overview says "provider agencies may choose to use the State EVV Solution at no cost or utilize a Provider Choice EVV System by contracting with the vendor of their choice." Every quote you get is therefore competing with zero. Wanting visits, schedules and billing in one place is a fair reason to pay. If you only need to meet the requirement, compare against the state's system before you compare vendors with each other.

1. Have you connected to Sandata in Colorado?

HCPF's Alternate Vendors page has two lists: "Vendors who HAVE connected to Sandata in Colorado" and "Vendors who HAVE NOT connected to Sandata in Colorado." The page was last updated July 2, 2026, so ask for the vendor's status today as well.

The difference is real work. HCPF's solution page says that when your vendor has connected before, it "precludes you from interface testing," and you can request production credentials. A vendor that has not connected needs you: "vendors must have a sponsoring Colorado provider before access to onboarding and testing activities can be granted." If you sign with one, your agency may be that sponsor, so ask.

Being on the list is not a recommendation. The same page says "The Department does NOT endorse any vendor or recommend using any particular vendor from this list."

2. If testing is needed, who does what, and by when?

HCPF lays out the steps. Sandata sends a testing guide and checklist to your vendor, the vendor uploads test files and completes the checklist, and a failed attempt comes back "marked with erroneous files and scenarios." Once both sides confirm success, you choose a Go Live date. The manual adds that "All contracted technologies must complete interface testing with Sandata and providers must complete Data Aggregator training."

We found no published fee or timeline for this. So ask for a date in writing, what happens if testing fails, and what your agency uses in the meantime.

3. Can you run a real visit in front of me?

The federal requirement in Section 12006 of the 21st Century Cures Act names six things: the type of service performed, the individual receiving it, the date, the location of service delivery, the individual providing it, and the time the service begins and ends. Any vendor will say it captures them. Ask to watch it happen on a phone, and then try the awkward cases: no cell signal, a caregiver who forgot to clock out, and a visit at an address that is not the client's home. Ask which fields are stamped by the device and which a person can type.

4. How will I see a rejected visit, and who fixes it?

If you use an alternate system, HCPF's FAQ says you "will have read-only access to a web portal in the Data Aggregator to view visit data." You cannot fix a record there. Corrections are made in the vendor's system and sent again.

HCPF's August 2026 fact sheet is blunt about the gap: "A visit recorded in a vendor system does not by itself confirm successful transmission to HCPF." Ask to see one visit's status on screen: sent, accepted or rejected, with the reason. Then ask who at the vendor answers when your staff cannot work out a rejection, and how fast.

5. What happens when transmission fails?

HCPF's FAQ says "If a Provider Choice System is unable to interface with the Data Aggregator, no EVV information will be transmitted to HCPF." Its September 2026 fact sheet says the State EVV Solution "may be used as the active EVV submission pathway while a Provider Choice system transmission issue is being resolved," and warns that a technical issue does not pause timely filing.

Ask how you would find out that sending has stopped. An alert on the same day is a different product from a denial you discover weeks later. Ask who calls Sandata during an outage, and write your own fallback down before you need it.

6. What happens to my claims when a record changes?

HCPF's overview says claims missing EVV records or with incomplete ones "will show in the provider's Remittance Advice as EOB 3054 'EVV Record Required and Not Found' and the claim will deny." The manual says "If an EVV record is modified after a claim line is matched for payment, the provider is responsible for voiding the matched claim and resubmitting it."

So ask whether the software warns someone who edits a visit that has already been billed, and whether it shows which claim that visit belongs to.

7. How do I get my records out?

HCPF's fact sheet says "Providers may transition from a Provider Choice system to the State EVV Solution either temporarily or permanently." The state lets you leave. Your contract decides how hard that is. HCPF does not set these terms, so ask for them in writing: a full export of visits and their change history, the file format, whether there is a charge, how much notice you must give, and how long your data stays reachable after the contract ends.

8. What is the full price?

HCPF's FAQ says "costs associated with purchasing and maintaining a Provider Choice System are the responsibility of the provider. There will be no fee to providers for connecting or transmitting data to the State EVV Solution Data Aggregator." If a quote has a line for aggregator fees, ask what it pays for. Then get the rest itemized: setup, whether pricing runs per user, per client or per visit, training, support hours, exports, and ending the contract.

The questions on one page

What stays with you

HCPF's solution page says providers choosing a Provider Choice system "are responsible for adopting and maintaining a compliant EVV system." The fact sheet goes further: "Providers are ultimately responsible for all aspects of EVV records submitted to HCPF, regardless of the technology they use." A good vendor does much of the work, but the records stay yours. Name the person in your office who watches them.

Where OutcomeGrid fits

OutcomeGrid's EVV page describes our product in our own words. Ask us these same eight questions, starting with the first.

What we could not confirm

• Whether HCPF approves a vendor. Its resources page labels the list "List of Approved Alternative Vendors," while its vendor page says the Department "does NOT endorse any vendor." We found no criteria beyond interface testing.
• How long interface testing takes or what it costs. HCPF publishes neither.
• What EVV vendors charge. We found no published comparison, so this article gives no prices.
• Whether aggregator training is required or only recommended. HCPF's solution page says "free and recommended," while its manual says "must."
• Anything from Medicaid.gov. We did not use it, so the federal requirement here comes from the statute text and HCPF's own page.

Sources: HCPF Electronic Visit Verification Overview, Solution Information, Alternate Vendors (page updated July 2, 2026) and Resources pages; HCPF EVV Program Manual (last updated 10/26/2026); HCPF EVV Frequently Asked Questions (page updated August 14, 2025); HCPF fact sheets, Switching EVV Technologies (August 2026) and EVV Compliance When Using Provider Choice Systems (September 2026); 21st Century Cures Act, Section 12006 (H.R. 34, 114th Congress). This article is general information, not legal advice.