Publications

This brief is the first in a series of resources that the HPC issued regarding the landscape of certified Massachusetts ACOs based on the information submitted by applicants for ACO Certification, combined with other publicly available information. The purpose of this series is to provide policymakers, health care providers, payers and purchasers, researchers, and other members of the interested public with new information and insights regarding the characteristics of certified ACOs.

In this annual report for 2017, the HPC presents new research to enhance the collective understanding of health care spending trends and cost drivers and evaluates progress in meeting the Commonwealth’s cost containment, care delivery, and payment system goals.

The following analyses compare these 14 provider organizations by averaging patient characteristics and spending for commercially insured adult patients (ages 18 and older) whose PCPs are affiliated with each organization.

In the 2016 Cost Trends Report, the Health Policy Commission (HPC) reported that 42% of all ED visits in Massachusetts in 2015 were avoidable, a share that has remained constant since 2011. HPC expanded this analysis to better understand these avoidable ED visits.

In this annual report for 2016, the HPC presents new research to enhance the collective understanding of health care spending trends and cost drivers and evaluates progress in meeting the Commonwealth’s cost containment, care delivery, and payment system goals.

In this annual report for 2015, the HPC presents new research to enhance the collective understanding of health care spending trends and cost drivers and evaluates progress in meeting the Commonwealth’s cost containment, care delivery, and payment system goals.

In this annual report for 2014, the HPC presents new research to enhance the collective understanding of health care spending trends and cost drivers and evaluates progress in meeting the Commonwealth’s cost containment, care delivery, and payment system goals.