The Center for Health Information and Analysis

𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙨 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨! Did you know that the majority of Massachusetts residents receive health insurance through their own or a family member’s employer? Employer-sponsored insurance plays a critical role in shaping the state’s health insurance coverage landscape.   CHIA's 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘀 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 (𝗠𝗘𝗦) collects valuable, detailed information on the employer health insurance market in Massachusetts. The last MES report released in 2022 (https://lnkd.in/g2R2ePQ) showed that while most Massachusetts firms (74%) offered health insurance to their employees, the average total monthly premium for single coverage was $715 in Massachusetts, higher than the national average of $645. 𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝙈𝙀𝙎? CHIA is requesting your help to update this information. If you've already completed the survey, thank you! If not, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 or forward CHIA's invite to the appropriate person in your organization. Depending on your firm's size and health benefits, the survey should take less than 30 minutes to complete. Your participation helps to shape employer-sponsored health insurance coverage in Massachusetts. Thank you for your time and contribution!   To complete the survey and see more information, go to mahealthsurveys.gov/mes.   #Massachusetts #MassachusettsEmployers #mabiz #smallbiz

CHIA has released summary results from the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 (𝗠𝗛𝗜𝗦). The MHIS is a statewide, population-based survey used to track and monitor health care coverage, access, and affordability trends in the Commonwealth. The MHIS also provides critical socio-demographic data that enables CHIA to analyze trends across different populations, with a focus on health equity.       While Massachusetts residents continue to have a high rate of insurance coverage (at 98.3%), access and affordability issues continue to persist across all groups regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity, health status, or family income. Uninsured residents in Massachusetts were disproportionately adults aged 19 to 64, males, Hispanic residents, and/or residents with a family income below 300% of the federal poverty level.    In the 2023 survey, new questions on primary care, telehealth, and behavioral health were included to capture data on the changing post-pandemic health care landscape. Results show that among the 15.0% of Massachusetts residents who reported paying for their most recent mental health care entirely out-of-pocket, the most frequently reported reasons for doing so were that the provider does not accept any health insurance or their preferred provider did not accept their insurance plan.    For the first time, the MHIS report also includes 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱. Go to CHIA's MHIS webpage to see more information and the latest results.   https://lnkd.in/eRGjUkn   #Massachusetts #healthcare #healthequity #mentalhealth

𝘼𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙨 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨! We’ve extended the deadline to participate in the 2024 Massachusetts Employer Survey (MES) to 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟱, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. The survey is sponsored by the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA), a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is conducted by Market Decisions Research. Your input is vital to informing the business community and policymakers about the issues faced by Massachusetts employers related to health insurance, including costs and plan offerings. You might have received an email or letter inviting you to take the survey. If you've already completed it, thank you! If not, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 or forward the invite to the appropriate person in your organization. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧? ➣ Employer insurance offerings ➣ Employee eligibility and enrollment ➣ Contribution amounts ➣ Decision-making factors 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙮? Visit 𝗺𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝘀.𝗴𝗼𝘃/𝗺𝗲𝘀, click "Take the Survey," and enter the PIN you received in an email or letter. 𝙉𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤? Check out FAQs and worksheets at mahealthsurveys.gov/mes or contact MAEmployerSurvey@marketdecisions.com. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 helps shape the future of employer-sponsored health insurance in Massachusetts. Thank you for your valuable contribution! See: https://lnkd.in/g2R2ePQ #Massachusetts #MassachusettsEmployers #mabiz #smallbiz

Great to join colleagues at the Group Insurance Commission meeting today. CHIA Executive Director Lauren Peters and Associate Manager of Health Informatics and Reporting Molly Bailey shared details on pharmacy spending from our latest Prescription Drug Report. See CHIA's full report: https://lnkd.in/eAwd67ti

Today, CHIA staff members heard from Cheryl Clark at our Juneteenth event to celebrate and recognize June 19, 1865, the date on which the last U.S. slaves were freed. Dr. Clark spoke about the persistence of gaps in life expectancy and health status for African Americans, and how to use data to illuminate their experiences and advocate for change. Among other notable achievements, Dr. Clark is Executive Director and Senior Vice President of the Institute for Health Equity Research, Evaluation & Policy, a program of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. As the IHE's inaugural leader, she is committed to advancing emancipatory research as part of a health equity movement led by people most affected by health injustice. We're grateful to Dr. Clark for joining us today and providing a rich and insightful talk. "We are all part of this living history, and we are carrying this forward." —Dr. Cheryl Clark, June 18, 2024 #HealthEquity #Juneteenth #healthcare

𝙉𝙀𝙒! CHIA's Executive Director Lauren Peters talks about how CHIA informs public policy discussions and creates common ground for understanding and improving the Massachusetts health care system. Check out what she has to say on the Codcast: https://lnkd.in/ep9yefxx #Massachusetts #healthdata #healthcare

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 (𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗔) released its latest interactive data visualization exploring the drivers of commercial prescription drug spending as a special supplement to CHIA’s latest report on this topic.  Prescription drug spending has consistently been a major driver of total health care spending in Massachusetts, which has a direct impact on residents. Data shows that while pharmacy spending trends are based on both the cost of prescription drugs as well as the number of prescriptions filled, the primary driver of spending growth is the increase in costs. Explore 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙪𝙜 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝘾𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙐𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 to see more on how this issue is impacting Massachusetts residents.   https://lnkd.in/e9dFsJCK #prescriptiondrugs #data #research #healthcare #Massachusetts

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 (CHIA) released its latest analysis of commercial prescription drug  trends to shine a light on the drivers of pharmacy spending, including high-volume and high-cost drugs. CHIA’s interactive dashboard and dataset allow users to see drivers of prescription drug spending as well as the associated conditions these drugs treat. For this analysis, CHIA used commercial pharmacy claims from the agency's All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) to identify high-volume and high-cost drugs between 2018 and 2022. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: • Overall prescription drug utilization declined as the average cost per prescription increased. • Ten therapeutic classes of drugs, which include Immunosuppressants, Hormones & Synthetic Substances, and Cardiovascular Agents, accounted for over 90% of pharmacy expenditures each year. • Immunosuppressants, a class of drugs that inhibit immune system activity and are used to treat autoimmune diseases, accounted for the largest portion of spending. The top three drugs by expenditures during the five-year period were Humira, Stelara, and Enbrel, all Immunosuppressants. • The most frequently prescribed drugs (i.e., highest volume) during the five-year period were Atorvastatin Calcium and Lisinopril, both Cardiovascular Agents. Atorvastatin Calcium is used to treat high cholesterol and triglyceride levels to reduce the risk of heart and blood vessel problems; Lisinopril is used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.  This dashboard is accompanied by an executive summary as well as a detailed dataset and technical appendix. See: https://lnkd.in/eAwd67ti #healthcare #prescription #prescriptiondrugs #data #research

As part of its series exploring 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘀, CHIA has published its first-ever interactive dashboard on outpatient observation visits with data through December 2023, which updates previous reporting that covered the period FFY 2016-2019. Observation visits are classified as outpatient care and may serve a variety of functions, including the assessment of patients who may require additional diagnostic or therapeutic treatment beyond care in an emergency department, but do not require admission to the inpatient setting. The interactive dashboard will be updated quarterly to offer timely insights into utilization and visit characteristics at a statewide level and for select analyses at the hospital level. These data will be updated as more complete information becomes available. This update also includes a summary, accompanying databook, and technical appendix. 𝗦𝗲𝗲 https://lnkd.in/dAYwekdG

For the first time, the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) fielded a survey to collect information on staffing capacity and diversity across 10 health care sectors. The statewide aggregate results as well as sector-specific results of the 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 (𝗠𝗛𝗖𝗪) 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 are now available in an interactive dashboard.  The data collected in this survey aims to provide a critical fact base to inform policies and programs and support ongoing monitoring of workforce trends.  CHIA’s interactive dashboard includes statewide cross-sector results, in addition to sector-specific findings for: ► Acute Care Hospitals ► Adult Day Health Services  ► Ambulatory Surgical Centers ► Behavioral Health ► Community Health Centers  ► Dental Practices ► Emergency Medical Services ► Home Health Care ► Nursing Homes  ► Public Hospitals The interactive dashboard enables users to dive into specific topical areas such as vacancy and turnover rates for specific occupations, recruitment and retention challenges faced by health care organizations, and employee racial and ethnic composition, among others.  Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/ezq3WHeX