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A high-functioning primary care system has been shown to lead to better patient outcomes, lower costs, and more equitable care, and is key to keeping patients well and out of hospitals and emergency departments. That’s why the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine asserted that “primary care is a common good, which makes the strength and quality of the country’s primary care services a public concern.” Many healthcare leaders have expressed worry 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.
MHQP is uniquely positioned to help advance the future of primary care through collective action. For example, we recently collaborated with the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) to release the first-ever dashboard of metrics to monitor the health of primary care in Massachusetts. We believe the pandemic has created a unique opportunity for innovative thinking and clear-headed vision to ensure the sustainability of primary care as the foundation of our healthcare system.
Here is a list of the posts on this site related to MHQP’s activities on the future of primary care:
MHQP Begins Annual Process to Update Clinical Guidelines with a Health Equity Focus
(September 2023)
It’s a valued resource for some, but not known by many ― MHQP’s Clinical Guidelines. Since 2001, MHQP has been helping to ensure all patients receive the same high standard of care through the annual publication of consistent, evidence-based, best practices guidelines for Adult Preventive Care, Pediatric Preventive Care
Unsustainable: An Honest Assessment of Massachusetts’ Healthcare Performance
By Barbra G. Rabson
(July 2023)
Last month, the Commonwealth Fund published its annual scorecard on state health performance and gave Massachusetts the top overall ranking. The ranking was based on several metrics collected in 2019, 2020 and 2021 covering seven categories ― Reproductive and Women’s Health, Access and
MHQP Data Spotlights the Troubling State of Pediatric Care in Boston Globe Article
(June 2023)
An article by Jessica Bartlett in this past Sunday’s Boston Globe asserts that “independent pediatric practices are struggling to survive.” MHQP is pleased to have helped bring attention to this critical issue by providing data cited by the author.
The article focuses on Middleboro Pediatrics, an independent practice located in
“The Failing Health of Primary Care in the US,” a Podcast Hosted by Zeev Neuwirth and Featuring Barbra Rabson and Katherine Gergen Barnett
(June 2023)
Barbra Rabson, MPH and Katherine Gergen Barnett, MD have teamed up again to raise concerns about the state of primary care in Massachusetts and across the country, this time on a podcast hosted by Zeev Neuwirth, MD.
As Dr. Neuwirth’s guests for episode #152 of his award-winning podcast series,
Boston Globe Articles Address Future of Telehealth; Prominently Feature MHQP
(March 2023)
Boston Globe reporter Felice Freyer has published two important articles focused on the future of telehealth in Massachusetts that prominently feature MHQP and its stakeholders.
The first article (“State’s largest insurer extends full telehealth coverage indefinitely” from February 19) spotlights Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ decision to continue paying
Winners of MHQP’s 2022 Patient Experience Awards Provide Best-In-Class Experiences Despite Growing Challenges for Primary Care
(February 2023)
Primary care practices are facing unprecedented challenges in the wake of the pandemic due to staffing shortages, inadequate reimbursement policies, changing patterns of well visits, practice consolidation, increased competition from new sources, and many other factors. Despite these challenges, the winners of the 2022 MHQP “Patient Experience Awards” found a
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), a nationally renowned institution of science, 
CHIA and MHQP Release First-Ever Dashboard to Monitor the Health of Primary Care
(January 2023)
A high-functioning primary care system has been shown to lead to better patient outcomes, lower costs, and more equitable care, and is key to keeping patients well and out of hospitals and emergency departments.
That’s why the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine recently asserted that “primary care is
MHQP to Produce State’s First-Ever Primary Care Dashboard for CHIA
(September 2022)
MHQP is pleased to announce that we have been selected by the state’s Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) to produce Massachusetts’ first-ever dashboard of metrics to monitor the health of primary care in the state.
Leaders in both the healthcare and policymaking arenas have become increasingly concerned about
It’s Time to Better Understand and Address Disparities in Patient Experiences
By Barbra G. Rabson
(July 2022)
The pandemic has shown us that we are not doing enough to equally promote health for people of all races and ethnicities. Given that there are well-known and researched disparities across all aspects of care, it may not surprise you to learn that Black, Hispanic and Asian
MHQP Confirms Significant Drop-Off in Key Preventive Care Measures During the Pandemic
(May 2022) Alarming declines in cancer screening procedures, routine tests for patients with diabetes, and childhood immunizations recorded
Data released today by MHQP confirm what many providers and policymakers feared – that preventive care declined during the pandemic, especially for procedures that required patients to visit a clinical setting in person.
Community-Wide Care Coordination Program Better Supports Kids with Behavioral Health Needs
(March 2022) MHQP Patient Experience Award Winner, MACONY Pediatrics, Leads the Effort.
It started back in 2015, well before anyone at MACONY Pediatrics had ever heard of the MHQP Patient Experience Awards. Healthcare and social service providers in and around Great Barrington, Massachusetts, were seeing a steady rise in behavioral health issues among
Despite Expected Setbacks from the Pandemic, Massachusetts Primary Care Practices Still Improved Patient Experiences in 2021
(March 2022) MHQP’s Statewide Patient Experience Survey Shows Unsurprising Losses Paired with Impressive Gains During the Pandemic
Despite the enormous challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts primary care practices were able to collectively improve experiences for their patients on several key metrics in 2021 as compared to 2019, based on the results
MHQP Releases Updated Clinical Guidelines with Renewed Focus on Health Equity
(February 2022)
MHQP has released its updated Clinical Guidelines for 2022. This year, the Guidelines are once again highlighting opportunities for clinicians to reduce inequities in care by improving screening for high-risk populations.
At a time when the pandemic has caused a sharp decrease in routine cancer screenings, and policies that aim to ensure equitable access to appropriate care
MHQP Announces Winners of 2021 Patient Experience Awards
(January 2022)
MHQP has announced the winners of the 2021 “MHQP Patient Experience Awards.” MHQP introduced this award program in 2018 as a way to recognize the primary care practices that perform highest on its annual Commercial Patient Experience Survey, the only statewide survey of patient experience in primary care in Massachusetts.
The
Are Severe Staffing Shortages the “Long COVID” for the Healthcare System?
By Barbra G. Rabson
(October 2021)
COVID-19 has disrupted our healthcare system in unimaginable and incalculable ways. While we hope that we may soon emerge from the intense burden created by the crisis, the long-lasting impacts of the pandemic are just beginning to come into focus. One of these long-lasting impacts – an
The Value of Primary Care: How Come They See It and We Don’t?
By Barbra G. Rabson
(July 2021)
In May, the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) issued an important new report called Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care. It received very little attention.
This was extremely worrisome for us at MHQP because, as an organization that has been measuring
MHQP Offers Important Webinar: Primary Care at a Critical Crossroads
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many primary care practices found themselves struggling to survive amid substantial uncertainty. Yet, last month, when the National Academy of Medicine issued its new report, Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care, it received very little attention.
On June 29, 2021, MHQP hosted
Primary Care’s Value Proposition and the Damage Done by the Pandemic
By Barbra G. Rabson
(April 2021)
MHQP has been measuring and publicly reporting about quality and patient experiences in primary care for nearly two decades. Never before have I known a moment such as this when I worry for the future of primary care in our state.
MHQP first began to investigate the health