MHQP Data Featured in CHIA Report Detailing Equity Gaps in Massachusetts Healthcare

(September 2025)

The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) issued an important report last week that reveals deeply concerning disparities in health outcomes and quality of care in our state.

The report is entitled “Equity in Quality of Care: Select Clinical Quality and Patient Experience Measures in Massachusetts Stratified by Race and Ethnicity, 2023.” According to CHIA’s website, this is the first time CHIA has reported on clinical quality and patient experience measures in primary care “through a health equity lens to identify disparities and areas for improvement in an effort to advance a more equitable health care system in Massachusetts.”

MHQP was proud to provide patient experience data from our Measured Equity initiative, as well as clinical quality data, for this report.

“The report shows that overall statewide performance measures mask disparities that emerge only when performance is stratified by race and ethnicity,” said CHIA in a social media post. Key findings from the report include:

  • Black, Asian, and Hispanic patients in Massachusetts have lower preventive screening rates for common conditions, including colorectal cancer and breast cancer, compared with White and non-Hispanic patients.
  • Preventive medication to control chronic asthma is dispensed to Hispanic patients at lower rates than non-Hispanic patients.
  • Black and Hispanic children are less likely to have the recommended number of well-child visits in the first 30 months of life than White and non-Hispanic children.
  • Black, Asian, and Hispanic patients report lower levels of trust in their providers than their White and non-Hispanic counterparts.

“At MHQP, we believe data must be used as a tool for change,” says Natalya Martins, MPH, MHQP’s Chief Operating Officer. “This report underscores the urgent need to continue to monitor disparities, and MHQP is committed to continuing to collect and report data in ways that drive action toward a more equitable health care system.”

See the full report plus an interactive dashboard with provider-level results for select clinical quality measures on CHIA’s website.