About The MVA

FAQ
 

Frequently-Asked Questions About The MVA

What is the Massachusetts Value Alliance?

Formed in 2016, the Massachusetts Value Alliance (MVA) is a collaboration of high-quality, high-value Massachusetts health care systems. Hospitals and physicians work together to enhance efficiency, coordination, and quality of care delivered, while promoting local governance and shared leadership in health care decision making. The MVA provides the opportunity to share best practices and purchasing among its members with the goal of reducing health care costs, improving quality, and enhancing the patient experience. The MVA is the largest collaboration of independent hospital systems and physician organizations in the state.

What is the mission of the MVA?
The mission of the MVA is to bring together health care providers committed to improve health care access, quality, efficiency, and affordability.
What is the vision of the MVA?
To be an essential partner for employers, payers, and providers seeking to effectively and efficiently provide high-quality health care.
Which Massachusetts health care providers are members of the MVA?

The MVA’s is one of the larger health care alliances in the nation, consisting of 7 Member/Affiliates totaling 11 hospitals.

Full Members (Owners, have a Board vote):

Affiliate Members (Pay membership fee, no Board vote):

Additional health care organizations may be added over time. These Alliance partners are important health care leaders in their regions and each partner’s contribution is significant, setting the stage for innovation in the delivery of coordinated, locally focused, personalized care.

What opportunities are being explored by the MVA?

The MVA is focused on:

  • Identifying and implementing economies of scale that reduce operating costs of member and affiliate hospitals.
  • Developing a geographically dispersed network of health care providers who are committed to improve health care access, quality, efficiency and affordability.
  • Identifying and sharing best practices among Alliance members to enhance each member’s ability to enhance patient care and reduce cost.
How will the MVA benefit patients?
The MVA represents a cost efficient high quality option for patients. By implementing economies of scale and cost reduction opportunities, the MVA will be able to carve out costs among member organizations, which will add value for patients, employers and payers. With the favorable geographic locations of our participating providers, patients will have easy access to both ambulatory and inpatient care. Eventually, collaborative efforts on computer technology will allow for the timely exchange of patient information that will improve outcomes and prevent duplication or over-utilization of health care services. Working together member hospitals and affiliated physicians across the region will consistency apply best medical practices.
Are the MVA members merging into one organization?
No. Each health system and physician organization will remain independent. A formal alliance has been established so that members can take advantage of opportunities to share existing services and jointly develop new services and capabilities. The ultimate goal is to deliver integrated care within each region served across the state.
Will there be leadership changes at these hospitals?
No. Each hospital will continue to operate independently with local governance and leadership.
How will hospital employees be affected by this collaborative?
The work of the MVA will be mostly transparent to hospital employees, though initiatives to improve performance that involve the sharing of best practices will engage employees in the implementation of techniques to improve the delivery and cost of care. The MVA will be devoted to capturing opportunities to reduce or to share costs in areas such as supplies, contracted services and information technology.
Alliances are forming around the country. What is causing this trend and how does the MVA compare to others?
Alliances provide community hospitals with the option to remain independent with local control over governance rather than being acquired or merging with an existing system and being subject to that system’s needs. Creating an alliance allows its members to take advantage of the benefits of scale, share best practices and pursue efficiencies while addressing local market needs.
How did the MVA respond to the COVID pandemic?

To date, the MVA’s Pandemic Emergency Purchasing Group has worked with 17 organizations across New England and has delivered:

  • 5M+ medical masks
  • 1.2M nitrile gloves
  • 500k+ N95 masks
  • 200k safety needles & syringes
  • 117k isolation gowns
  • 15k+ canisters of germicidal wipes
  • And coordinated donations of ~ 140k batteries and ~ 60k bottles of hand sanitizer