Contact:
Katie Daigle-Alexander
kdaigle@issuesgroup.com
In response to growing affordability and access challenges,Massachusetts health plans and hospitals have joined forces to create the Massachusetts Payer-Provider Partnership (MP3), a first-of-its-kind organization dedicated to driving innovative, on-the-ground solutions for patients and employers.
“Once again, Massachusetts is leaning into its long legacy of working together and finding common ground to improve the local healthcare experience,” said Steve Tringale, President of Mass General Brigham Health Plan and MP3 Board member. “That is the fundamental mission of health plans and health systems through MP3, and we believe this group has a tremendous opportunity for payers and providers to work collaboratively to improve the patient experience, outcomes, and affordability within a rapidly changing healthcare environment.”
MP3 will be led by Lauren Peters, a deeply respected and innovative healthcare leader who most recently served as Executive Director of the state’s Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA). Before joining CHIA, Peters served as Undersecretary for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
“It is a distinct honor to be working with these best-in-class organizations to build this partnership from the ground up,” said MP3 President Lauren Peters. “Every MP3 success will represent innovation for Massachusetts healthcare – innovation that is patient-centered, action-oriented, and partnership-driven.”
MP3 is designed to unite and implement shared ideas between institutions that deliver care and organizations that pay for care. The partnership will focus on practical, collaborative solutions – which may include modernizing and streamlining administrative processes and fostering innovative care delivery and payment models – to reduce costs and improve the patient care experience. Members will pilot these solutions within their own organizations and patient populations with the goal of scaling successful initiatives statewide.
The organization’s inaugural members will begin meeting in early spring 2026 to discuss initial goals and ideas. Those members include:
- Baystate Health
- Boston Medical Center Health System
- Fallon Health
- Health New England
- Mass General Brigham
- Mass General Brigham Health Plan
- UMass Memorial Health
- UMass Memorial Health Mass Advantage
- WellSense Health Plan
MP3 is an affiliated but autonomous entity of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association. It was founded in recognition of the growing affordability and access challenges patients are facing – as well as the enormous financial pressures that health systems, hospitals, and health plans are navigating as they strive to maintain world-class services. It is designed to be an on-the-ground complement to important policy-focused efforts underway, including the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Health Care Affordability Workgroup, the work of the Health Policy Commission, and other statewide collaborations.
“This new organization is built on a belief that no single part of the healthcare sector has all the answers,” said Alastair Bell, MD, President and CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System and MP3 Board Member. “Given the scale and complexity of today’s challenges across the industry, collaboration and developing innovative, practical solutions are critical to making sustained progress. At Boston Medical Center Health System, I’ve seen what can be accomplished when payer and provider functions are aligned. I am optimistic and excited about the potential of MP3 to extend innovations across the entire sector.”
“This is a bold effort to integrate two of the largest components of our health care system, accelerate meaningful change and ignite innovation – all for the benefit of the members and patients we serve,” said Peter D. Banko, President & CEO of Baystate Health, Board Chair of Health New England, and MP3 Board Member. “There is an inherent tension – too often, not healthy – between health plans and providers. We believe this pioneering new organization will enable us to break down unnecessary barriers and create a new frontier for Massachusetts healthcare.”
“Our healthcare system faces increasingly complex challenges, but we have a proud history in Massachusetts of taking bold action to address these challenges through a model of collective action,” said David Seltz, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. “MP3’s focus on providing opportunities for meaningful collaboration between healthcare providers and insurers is a welcome new effort that will help advance our shared goal of a healthcare system that is more affordable, accessible, and equitable for all commonwealth residents.”
Massachusetts is uniquely positioned to foster a cross-sector partnership like MP3. Unlike many other states, the commonwealth’s healthcare market is defined by local, trusted organizations with a deep understanding of communities, the needs of patients, and a strong desire to partner around complex issues.
To learn more about the Massachusetts Payer-Provider Partnership, visit masspayerprovider.org.
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About Massachusetts Payer-Provider Partnership (MP3)
The Massachusetts Payer‑Provider Partnership (MP3) is a first-of-its-kind collaborative organization that brings together Massachusetts-based healthcare providers and health plans to develop and implement innovative, on-the-ground solutions that improve patient access and advance affordability. Founded in 2026, MP3 serves as a cross-sector platform for payer and provider leaders to identify practical opportunities that accelerate meaningful change and deliver measurable improvements for patients and the healthcare sector. MP3 operates as an affiliated, but autonomous, entity of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association. For more information, visit masspayerprovider.org.