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Health System Performance

CHIA monitors and reports on a wide variety of health care indicators in Massachusetts to help legislators, policymakers, payers, and providers improve quality, affordability, access, and outcomes in the health care system.

The Annual Report on the Performance of the Massachusetts Health Care System serves as the basis for ongoing review of the health care market and for measuring the progress of the state’s cost containment efforts. It includes the Commonwealth’s Total Health Care Expenditures calculation along with several other key indicators. This year's report includes a new chapter on health care affordability that presents a consumer-centric picture of rising health care costs and its downstream implications, as well as a section and interactive dashboard that provides comparative insights into how medical spending varies by community demographics.

In May 2024, CHIA, in collaboration with Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP), published an interactive dashboard to monitor the health of the primary care system in the Commonwealth. A high-functioning primary care system can lead to better patient outcomes, lower costs, and more equitable care.

Also in May 2024, CHIA produced the results from the Massachusetts Health Care Workforce Survey (MHCW). This publication collected critical information on labor participation, workforce needs, recruitment and retention challenges, and policy opportunities to help address the workforce crisis.

And while Massachusetts has made significant strides to mitigate barriers to access and affordability through legislative reforms and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), substantial disparities persist among specific subpopulations in health insurance coverage, access, utilization, and affordability. Using data from multiple sources, CHIA seeks to prioritize the collection and analysis of reliable and meaningful health care information on subpopulations to inform policymakers, health care providers, payers, and other industry partners on health equity.

CHIA's Massachusetts Hospital Profiles contain financial health metrics and quality metrics for individual hospitals. This publication also includes financial information for each of the multi-acute hospital systems in the Commonwealth.

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(What is this?)

Each year, pursuant to M G L c 12C, the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) examines the performance of the Massachusetts health care system and reports on trends in coverage, cost, and quality indicators to inform policymaking. New this year, the report includes a chapter on health care affordability that presents a consumer-centric picture of rising health care costs and its downstream implications, as well as a section and interactive dashboard that provides comparative insights into how medical spending varies by community demographics.  Read more....

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Behavioral health includes an array of vital services that can meaningfully shape patient outcomes and encompasses services and treatment for both mental health and substance use disorders (SUD). Monitoring and tracking key indicators of behavioral health care are crucial components of supporting policy initiatives and informing Massachusetts residents and policymakers. Read More....

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A high-functioning primary care system can lead to better patient outcomes, lower costs, and more equitable care. Access to these services improves overall population health and can reduce avoidable emergency department visits. Massachusetts residents and health care leaders have expressed concerns about the health and sustainability of primary care in Massachusetts, especially in the wake of the pandemic which caused unprecedented disruptions across all health care settings.  Read more....

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CHIA recently started a reporting series focused on health care equity in Massachusetts. While Massachusetts has made significant strides to mitigate barriers to access and affordability through legislative reforms and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), substantial disparities persist among specific subpopulations in health insurance coverage, access, utilization, and affordability. Read more.....

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The Massachusetts Health Care Workforce Survey (MHCW) collects critical information on labor participation, workforce needs, recruitment and retention challenges, and policy opportunities to help address the workforce crisis. Learn more....

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Nursing facilities serve an important role in the continuum of health care services in Massachusetts. To better understand this component of the health care system, CHIA's initial report in this aspect of the Massachusetts health care system examines the Commonwealth's nursing facilities at an industry level, as well as by analytic cohorts, on measures of utilization, financial performance, and quality of care over a five-year period (2013–2017) Read more....

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Hospital readmissions are a central issue in working to improve health care quality and reduce costs. Readmissions are a costly and potentially preventable problem that impacts health care both nationally and in Massachusetts. Read more...

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CHIA identifies, calculates, disseminates, and maintains a specific set of standard statistics that measure the performance of the Massachusetts health care system. This information is derived from CHIA's unique data sets or other reliable sources. Read More