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MHQP Receives PCORI Award to Help Advance Equity in Endometriosis Care for Black Women
(January 2024)
MHQP is pleased to announce that, in partnership with the Endometriosis Association, we have received a funding award through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, to identify new research directions to reduce disparities in endometriosis care for Black women, as
We Need Bolder Actions to Take On Our Primary Care Crisis
(December 2023)
By Barbra G. Rabson
In a post earlier this year, I noted the threat to the sustainability of our state’s health care system if it continues to prioritize spending on hospital care and underspend in primary care. Since then, I have been encouraged by some welcome
Julita Mir, MD, Brings Insights and Expertise as MHQP’s New Board Chair
(December 2023)
The focus of Julita Mir’s career is at the nexus of all that MHQP stands for: optimizing patient experiences, building primary care relationships, and working to achieve equitable care for vulnerable populations. As an internist, infectious disease specialist and healthcare executive, the things that matter to her are the things
Employers Value Telehealth’s Convenience But Are Skeptical About Its Impact on Cost, MHQP/AIM Study Shows
(October 2023)
When telehealth usage surged during the pandemic as a safe way for patients and providers to interact, MHQP conducted a series of surveys among providers and patients to provide real-time feedback to the field about this rapidly evolving tool. The input we received was extremely valuable in helping
MHQP Introduces Measured Equity, a Statewide Initiative to Measure Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Patient Experiences
(September 2023)
We can no longer ignore the systemic racial and ethnic disparities in patient experiences that plague our healthcare system. Organizations across the state are taking action to address these disparities, but these complex issues can only be effectively addressed by working collaboratively across organizational lines, not in organizational siloes. At the Health Equity Trends Summit assembled by
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
Autumn Bailey, Symone Woodham and Julia Banas Bring Fresh Perspectives to MHQP
(September 2023)
Over the past two years, MHQP has been pleased to have added a new cadre of young talent, as we have welcomed Julia Banas, Symone Woodham and Autumn Bailey to our staff. Each brings a unique background and offers a unique set of skills. Yet they all share two things in common: an interest in public health
Barbra Rabson Joins ABFM Board of Directors
(September 2023)
Barbra Rabson, MHQP’s President and CEO, has been invited to join the Board of Directors for the American Board of Family Medicine (ABMF) as one of two non-physician members.
Founded in 1969, ABFM is a not-for-profit, private organization whose mission is to improve the health of the public through
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,
MHQP Receives Second PCORI Award to Help Improve Care for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease
(May 2023)
In the summer of 2022, MHQP partnered with the Massachusetts Sickle Cell Association (MSCA) to lead a set of convenings to explore new directions for research into patient-centered approaches to help people with sickle cell disease (SCD) self-manage their pain. This effort was made possible through an award from
MHQP Surveying MassHealth Members About Their Patient Experiences of Care
(May 2023)
MHQP is pleased to announce that we have again been selected by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as its vendor to survey members of MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program, about their experiences of care. MHQP completed a five-year contract for
Celebrating Barbra Rabson on her 25th Anniversary at MHQP
(May 2023)
When Barbra Rabson joined MHQP as its part-time executive director in April 1998, MHQP was not yet an official organization. In fact, she started out as a contractor for the Massachusetts Hospital Association, which was serving as MHQP’s incubator.
The concept of MHQP was born three years earlier, when the late
2023 MHQP Clinical Guidelines Highlight the Impact of Systemic Racism on Health Outcomes
(April 2023)
“Patients may be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they are Black, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic/Latino.”
This was one of the “Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes” identified in the Diabetes section of last year’s version of MHQP’s Clinical Guidelines. MHQP
MHQP Receives BCBSMA Foundation Grant to Explore Asian Patient Experiences
(March 2023)
Through a Special Initiatives grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation (BCBSMAF), MHQP has launched a new project designed to help better understand why Asian patients report worse experiences with primary care than other racial populations. A deeper understanding requires a more nuanced consideration of the
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
Black, Hispanic and Asian Patients Report Worse Patient Experiences than White Patients in Massachusetts
(February 2023)
MHQP Convening Stakeholders to Explore Drivers of These Disparities and How to Reduce Them
Black, Asian and Hispanic patients report worse experiences than White, non-Hispanic patients in Massachusetts. This is the key finding of an analysis of data collected in MHQP’s annual statewide Patient Experience Survey of commercially-insured patients,
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 Welcomes Partners on Statewide Initiative to Measure Disparities in Patient Experience
(November 2022)
MHQP is excited to launch an initiative to measure racial and ethnic disparities in patient experiences across Massachusetts by utilizing the same instrument and methodology we have used to measure patient experience in the state since 2006.
Our aim is to broker consistency in health equity measurement throughout the state
Study Finds Disparities in Telehealth Usage Since the Onset of the Pandemic
(November 2022)
The Department of Population Medicine at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, has released the results of a research study on telehealth use in the Commonwealth since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. MHQP supported the effort by collecting and analyzing qualitative interview data
MHQP Celebrates Barbara Spivak and Julita Mir
(November 2022)
MHQP is pleased to celebrate the invaluable contributions of two members of our Board of Directors, Barbara Spivak, MD, and Julita Mir, MD, both of whom have an enormous impact on MHQP’s strategy and direction.
Barbara Spivak, MD
A primary care provider and President and CEO of the Mount Auburn Cambridge