CQC Nonprofit Hospital Scorecard: Mass General Brigham Earns a #HospitalFail

By Consumers for Quality Care, on March 10, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2022
Contact: press@consumers4qualitycare.org

CQC Nonprofit Hospital Scorecard: Mass General Brigham Earns a #HospitalFail

BOSTON, MA – Mass General Brigham (MGB) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, academic hospital system and is the dominant hospital organization in the state. But, according to recent reports from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission and PatientRightsAdvocate.org, MGB’s practices are at odds with what the public expects from charitable hospitals.

A statement from Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) reads: “Nonprofit hospitals receive massive subsidies through exemptions from paying state and federal income tax, sales tax and property tax. In return, they are expected to deliver affordable, quality health care to underserved communities. Unfortunately, many of America’s biggest nonprofit hospitals are putting profits over patients. Nonprofit hospitals like Mass General Brigham must do more to benefit their communities.”

Hospital Score Card: Mass General Brigham

Prices	MGB has the highest prices in the state, with outpatient and inpatient prices nearly 300% higher than Medicare’s payments.⁽¹⁾
Patients	Despite its nonprofit, tax-exempt status, MGB generally serves higher proportions of commercially insured, and patients from wealthier communities, than other hospitals in the state.⁽²⁾
Consolidation and Expansion	After a related company’s failed attempt to operate a hospital in China that would draw in wealthy patients who would pay out-of-pocket for care,⁽³⁾ MGB proposed expansion plans in Massachusetts. These plans are being reviewed, but Attorney General Maura Healey⁽⁴⁾ and the Health Policy Commission⁽⁵⁾ have both expressed skepticism because the expansion would likely increase health care costs across Massachusetts.
Price Transparency	A study by PatientsRightsAdvocate.org found that Mass General Hospital, one of the two dominant hospitals within the MGB system, is not compliant with the federal hospital price transparency rule that requires hospitals to post all prices online in an easily accessible format.⁽⁶⁾
Impact on Patients	MGB’s proposed expansion plans would likely drive substantial new patient volume and revenue to the higher-cost MGB system, which would lead to higher health care spending and higher premiums.⁽⁷⁾MGB’s patients also have substantially higher health spending than those of other providers.⁽⁸⁾

GRADE: #HospitalFail

1 Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, “Health Care Cost Trends Hearing”, November 17, 2021, pg. 43, https://www.mass.gov/doc/full-2021-cost-trends-hearing-presentation/download
2 Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, “HPC Board Meeting”, January 25, 2022, pg. 35, https://www.mass.gov/doc/presentation-board-meeting-january-25-2022/download
3 The Boston Globe, “How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came”, December 26, 2021, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/12/26/metro/how-brigham-health-helped-create-chinese-hospital-elites-almost-nobody-came/?event=event12
4 The Boston Globe, “Healey concerned Mass General Brigham’s expansion would bring higher health care costs”, November 18, 2021, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/18/metro/maura-healey-concerned-mass-general-brighams-expansion-would-bring-higher-health-care-costs/
5 Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, “HPC Board Meeting”, January 25, 2022, pg. 33, https://www.mass.gov/doc/presentation-board-meeting-january-25-2022/download
6 PatientRightsAdvocate.org, “Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency Compliance Report”, February 2022, pg. 31, https://www.patientrightsadvocate.org/semi-annual-compliance-report-2022
7 Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, “HPC Board Meeting”, January 25, 2022, pg. 33, https://www.mass.gov/doc/presentation-board-meeting-january-25-2022/download
8 Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, “HPC Board Meeting”, January 25, 2022, pg. 35, https://www.mass.gov/doc/presentation-board-meeting-january-25-2022/download

Visit CQC’s Nonprofit Hospital Scorecards here.

ABOUT

Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) is a coalition of advocates and former policymakers working to provide a voice for patients in the health care debate as they demand better care. CQC is led by a board of directors that includes the Honorable Donna Christensen, physician and former Member of Congress; Jim Manley, former senior advisor to Senators Edward Kennedy and Harry Reid; and Jason Resendez, community advocate and health care strategist.