CHIA

The Center for Healthcare Information Analysis (CHIA) is an independent agency that serves as the commonwealth’s primary hub for healthcare data and a key source of healthcare analytics that support state healthcare policy development. MHA works collaboratively with CHIA and other agencies to improve efficiency in the collection, dissemination and use of healthcare data and to promote administrative simplification.
02.10.2020  | Hospitals Saving Lives Inside and Outside of Their Walls
MHA has produced a publication – A Commitment to Community: Massachusetts Hospitals’ Community Benefit Initiatives – that details stories showing how hospitals are improving the health of individuals and communities.
01.27.2020  | Governor’s Budget Bill: Medicaid Rates Hold Steady
Governor Charlie Baker released his proposed FY 2021 state budget last week, and it contains, for the second year in a row, an update to MassHealth spending of less than 1%.
01.20.2020  | A Chance to Comment on Duplicative Healthcare Measures
MHA is encouraging its membership to weigh in on recommendations for possible changes to the 2021 state Aligned Measure Set.
12.23.2019  | Readmissions in Massachusetts
The unplanned readmission rate for Massachusetts acute care hospitals in 2018 was 15.4% – unchanged from the previous year.
11.11.2019  | Senate Rx Bill Gives HPC Even More Authority
This week the state senate is expected to begin deliberations on pharmaceutical cost control legislation.
11.04.2019  | CHIA: Co-Morbid Behavioral Health Issues Complicate Readmissions
CHIA released its second report on behavioral health and readmissions in Massachusetts acute care hospitals.
10.14.2019  | State Meets Cost Growth Benchmark
The state’s Center for Health Information & Analysis (CHIA) last Tuesday released its annual report on the performance of the Massachusetts healthcare system.
08.19.2019  | Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan Announce Merger Plan
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, the second- and third-largest health insurers in Massachusetts, respectively, on Wednesday announced plans to merge.
07.22.2019  | DMH Issues Final Rule on Licensing, Operations
The Department of Mental Health has amended the regulations relating to its oversight of the licensing and operation of mental health facilities.
06.24.2019  | Surprise Billing: Protect Patients, Negotiate Payments
Efforts are underway both in Washington and on Beacon Hill to help resolve the problem of “surprise billing.”
05.20.2019  | Candidates Sought for Patient and Family Peer Support Network
The Betsy Lehman Center announced that it is creating a Patient and Family Peer Support Network to provide help for patients and families to receive support after a medical error or an adverse event.
04.22.2019  | Healthcare Costs Affecting Health, Finances
About 43% of insured Massachusetts residents in 2017 reported having a healthcare “affordability issue” during the past 12 months.
04.15.2019  | Government & Hospitals to Pharma: Be Transparent
State and federal governments are looking into rising prescription drug prices.
04.08.2019  | Benchmark Set; Data Lags Put 2015-16 Costs in Spotlight
The Health Policy Commission (HPC) last week voted to set the statewide healthcare cost growth benchmark for calendar year 2020 at 3.1%.
03.25.2019  | Hospital-Specific Readmissions Reports
The state’s Center for Health Information & Analysis (CHIA) last Tuesday released hospital-specific readmission profiles for each acute care hospital in the state.
02.18.2019  | HPC IDs Administrative Simplification as a Priority
The Health Policy Commission’s (HPC’s) annual Cost Trend Report is an interesting, dense collection of facts and figures about the Massachusetts healthcare system. Within the 70-plus page 2018 report is a six-page section outlining 11 policy recommen
01.07.2019  | Budget Leaders Set Limit that Influences Healthcare Benchmark
Each year the leaders of the Massachusetts House and Senate Ways and Means Committees meet with the Administration and Finance Secretary to come up with their assumption of how much state revenues will increase in the coming year.
12.17.2018  | CHIA’s Newest Report is User-Friendly
CHIA’s latest report, released last week, provides information on acute and non-acute hospitals based on hospital characteristics, services, payer mix, utilization trends, cost trends, and financial performance over a five-year period.
12.17.2018  | Hospitals, Health System Beat Cost Benchmark (by a Wide Margin)
The 1.6% total healthcare spending growth rate in Massachusetts was well below the national rate.
08.06.2018  | State Report Shows Hospitals are Skating on Thin Ice
The state has released Massachusetts hospital financial performance data for all of 2017 and the picture is not at all rosy.

Resources

Click on the links below for easy access to important information related to state healthcare issues and advocacy.


Visit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts websites below to find information on legislative hearings and other meetings of interest to the healthcare community.


To guide your navigation of the legislative process and assist your advocacy efforts, please visit the following state websites: