Mission & History

Mission

CHIA’s mission is to serve as a steward of Massachusetts health information to promote a more transparent and equitable health care system that effectively serves all residents of the Commonwealth. ​

We pursue this mission in the public interest. This informs our objective perspective, and our commitment to serving a broad, diverse audience. We are a hub, connecting our products to policymakers, public and private payers and providers, employers, researchers, and the residents of Massachusetts.

Our vision is a transparent health care system where reliable information provides common ground for improvement and empowers people and organizations to make informed decisions.

History

The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA), an independent agency established pursuant to M.G.L. c. 12C, serves as the Commonwealth’s primary hub for health care data and a primary source of health care analytics that support policy development. CHIA was created by Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012, which was enacted to improve health care quality and contain health care costs through transparency, efficiency and innovation. CHIA assumed many, but not all, of the functions of its predecessor agency, the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy.

CHIA’s statutory duties include the following:

• to collect, analyze, and disseminate health care information to assist in the formulation of health care policy and in the provision and purchase of health care services;
• to provide analysis of health care spending trends compared with the health care cost growth benchmarks;
• to collect, analyze, and disseminate information regarding providers, provider organizations, and payers to increase the transparency and improve the functioning of the health care system;
• to collaborate with other state agencies to collect and disseminate data concerning the cost, price, and functioning of the health care system in the Commonwealth and the health status of individuals;
• to participate in and provide data and data analysis concerning health care provider and payer costs, prices, and cost trends;
• to report to consumers comparative health care cost and quality information.

Since its start as a new agency on November 5, 2012, CHIA has collected health care information from health care payers, providers, provider organizations, and third-party administrators and has disseminated that information in a manner that promotes access and transparency for state agencies, providers, public and private payers, and researchers and consumers while safeguarding the privacy rights and interests of Commonwealth residents.

Additionally, CHIA’s health care analytics, including reports on hospitals, insurance coverage, and enrollment, as well as mandated benefit reviews and related reports, are widely used by stakeholders throughout the Commonwealth. In further support of its duties and mission, CHIA also works collaboratively with other state agencies to improve efficiency in the collection, dissemination, and use of health care data and to promote administrative simplification.