A Massachusetts Issue
Massachusetts is proud of its international reputation for medical innovation and excellence. We should be. Our hospitals, medical schools, and research institutions are part of our community identity and crucial to our economy. But despite the passionate commitment of our physicians, nurses, and hospitals, health care in Massachusetts—like the rest of the nation—shows substantial variations in quality, safety, and effectiveness. For example:

• Patients in Boston receive the recommended care for their condition only 56 percent of the time (Source: Health Affairs)



• Just over half (51 percent) of adult diabetics in the state do not receive recommended preventative care (Source: The Commonwealth Fund)



• Massachusetts is below the national average for preventing avoidable hospitalizations for the flu and adult asthma and for the treatment of colorectal cancer (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)