Standard Quality Measure Set (SQMS)

In 2025, Massachusetts enacted Chapter 343: An Act Enhancing the Market Review Process, charging CHIA—in coordination with the Division of Insurance and the Health Policy Commission—with convening a Statewide Quality Advisory Committee (SQAC) to recommend a Standard Quality Measure Set (SQMS) for mandatory use in contracts that incorporate quality measures into payment terms between payers and providers. These standard measures of health care provider quality and health system performance were first established in 2026 and will be updated in even-number years.

In accordance with the new requirements outlined in M.G.L. c. 12C, CHIA will collect data about the adoption of these standard measures and provider performance on SQMS measures. The data collection may be used to facilitate CHIA’s monitoring of the health system and performance, assigning tiers to health care providers in the design of any health plan, and/or for use on consumer transparency websites and other methods of providing consumer information.

The 2027-2028 Standard Quality Measure Set, also known as the Massachusetts Aligned Measure Set, was approved by CHIA’s Executive Director in June 2026. In developing the measure set, CHIA and the SQAC built upon the work of the Quality Measure Alignment Taskforce (QMAT), using the 2026 Massachusetts Aligned Measure Set as the starting point.

The 2027-2028 SQMS consists of two categories of measures: Core Measures (“Core Set”) and Non-Core Measures (“Menu Set”). Measures not found in either the Core or Non-Core Measure Sets may be included by MassHealth to meet Medicaid-specific program needs.

Related materials:

• Massachusetts 2027-2028 Aligned Measure Set and Summary of Changes (PDF)

CHIA published the draft regulation 957 CMR 4.00 – Uniform Provider Reporting of the Standard Quality Measure Set on Dec. 19, 2025, after previously filing it with the Massachusetts Secretary of State on Dec. 5, 2025. CHIA held a virtual public hearing on Jan. 15, 2026, relative to the adoption of 957 CMR 4.00, with written testimony submitted before 5 p.m. Jan. 26, 2026.

957 CMR 4.00 governs the reporting requirements of payers and/or providers to provide data on their use of quality measures for incentivization and other information to CHIA to ensure uniform reporting of information in accordance with M.G.L. c. 12C.

For more information, contact sqac@chiamass.gov.