Minnesota Disparities Reports Highlight Gaps in Quality Measures by Insurance Type and by Race, Ethnicity, Language and Country of Origin

April 17, 2019

MINNEAPOLIS – APRIL 17, 2019 – MN Community Measurement (MNCM), an independent nonprofit organization that empowers health care decision makers with meaningful data to drive improvement, has released two reports that present information on disparities by insurance type and by race, ethnicity, language, and country of origin data for measures collected by MNCM in 2018, including online appendices with comparisons by medical group and clinic. 

Disparities by Insurance Type

The report “2018 Minnesota Health Care Disparities by Insurance Type” summarizes quality measures for patients enrolled in Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) and makes comparisons by insurance type. It also highlights high performing medical groups for the MHCP patient population. This report focuses on the managed care components of Minnesota’s Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare programs. As enrollment in these programs continues to increase, the “2018 Minnesota Health Care Disparities by Insurance Type” helps the state and health care providers identify opportunities to improve health care and health outcomes for people served by state programs. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) contracts with MNCM to produce the report.

Key Findings

Statewide MHCP rates for the quality measures included in the report are consistently and significantly lower than other insurance types. The gap between MHCP and other insurance types has significantly narrowed over time for four measures but widened for two measures. One notable trend is that colorectal cancer screening for MHCP patients has increased by over eight percentage points since 2011.

“The annual disparities report helps highlight the need to continue efforts to advance equity in our state and achieve the goals of One Minnesota,” says DHS Commissioner Tony Lourey. “DHS embraces the role that we can play and is committed to building on the work with our partners and communities to reduce disparities and help ensure equitable health outcomes for all Minnesotans.” 

Disparities by Race, Ethnicity, Language and Country of Origin

The report “2018 Minnesota Health Care Disparities by Race, Hispanic Ethnicity, Language and Country of Origin” features statewide and medical group performance rates stratified by race, Hispanic ethnicity, preferred language, and country of origin. In Minnesota, communities of color experience significantly higher rates of chronic and infectious diseases, illnesses, and premature death. According to the Minnesota State Demographic Center, populations of color are expected to continue to increase faster than the white non-Hispanic population, increasing to 25 percent of the total state population by 2035. As a result, the current challenge of addressing health disparities will become even more important over time.

Key Findings

This report illustrates that the range of quality measure results (lowest to highest) by preferred language has narrowed over time for colorectal cancer screening and for adolescent mental health and/or depression screening (see pages 19 and 21 of the report). In general, quality measures for American Indian, African American, and Hispanic Minnesotans are significantly below the statewide rate on most measures. For most measures, people who speak Hmong, Karen, Somali, and Spanish have rates that are significantly below the statewide average.

“Minnesota is unique in having this data that help us to identify disparities in health care quality measures,” says MN Community Measurement President Julie Sonier. “Understanding disparities is a necessary first step toward addressing them effectively. Monitoring disparities over time also gives us the ability to celebrate progress like the significant increases in colorectal cancer screening for African American patients.” 

About MN Community Measurement

MN Community Measurement is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering health care decision makers with meaningful data to drive improvement. A trusted source of health care data since 2005, MNCM works with doctors, hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, and state agencies to collect, analyze, and report health care data related to quality, cost, and patient experience. Learn more at www.mncm.org.


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October 20, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — October 20, 2026 — MN Community Measurement (MNCM) today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Koble-MN's health information exchange (HIE) business line and the MNSHINE brand from The Koble Group. On November 1, MNCM will officially change its legal name to Minnesota Statewide Health Information Network and Exchange, known as MNSHINE. The transition follows a special joint meeting of MNCM's Board of Directors and members on October 12, at which the Board unanimously approved resolutions authorizing the acquisition, changing the organization's legal name, and establishing a new HIE Advisory Committee. Members unanimously adopted the name change and related amendments to the organization's Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. An intentional decision to collaborate The transition is the result of an intentional decision by Minnesota health care leaders to collaborate on a health data landscape that makes sense: one that reduces redundancy, increases efficiency, and delivers needed information to those with legal authorization to receive it, where and when it is needed, without unnecessary administrative barriers. "This is not simply a merger of services. It is a deliberate choice to build the kind of health data infrastructure Minnesota deserves," said Liz Cinqueonce, President and CEO of MNCM. "For too long, organizations across our state have had to navigate duplicative systems and disconnected data. By bringing measurement and exchange together, we can reduce that burden and make sure the right information reaches the right people at the right time, with patient privacy protections firmly in place, so they can focus on improving care." The effort builds on months of work by the Executive Leadership Council, convened earlier this year by MNCM, the Minnesota Electronic Health Records Consortium, and Koble to explore how a sustainable, statewide health data utility could serve the public interest. "Minnesota is at its best when we take on difficult challenges together and align on solutions," said Mark Steffen, MD, Chair of the MNCM Board of Directors. "The Board's unanimous support reflects a shared conviction that our future depends on organizations keeping their unique strengths and missions while participating in shared infrastructure and governance. That balance is what enables greater coordination, transparency, efficiency, and impact." A trusted backbone for Minnesota's health data Minnesota's future health data ecosystem is one in which organizations retain their unique strengths and missions while participating in shared infrastructure and governance. The vision for MNSHINE is to become the health data utility, governed in the public interest with strong privacy protections and transparency, that serves as the trusted backbone connecting these efforts, ensuring data can be used more effectively to improve health, wellbeing, and outcomes for all Minnesotans. By bringing the measurement of health care quality, cost, and utilization together with the infrastructure that moves clinical data between organizations, MNSHINE will be positioned to support providers, payers, public health, researchers, policymakers, and communities alike, each within the limits of applicable law and participant agreements. The goal is healthier people, stronger communities, greater equity, better public decisions, smarter investments, and a health system that learns continuously. Continuity for HIE participants HIE services will continue without interruption. To ensure continuity of leadership and relationships, Chad Peterson, CEO of The Koble Group, has joined MNCM as Senior Vice President of HIE Services. “For HIE participants, this transition opens new possibilities,” said Peterson. “When exchange and measurement are guided by one mission, we can reduce duplication for providers and better support care coordination, while holding firm to the privacy protections patients expect. I’m proud to help lead that work, and I’m committed to making sure every participant feels supported as we grow.” MNCM has also established the HIE Advisory Committee as a standing committee of its Board of Directors. The committee continues the work of the Koble-MN Advisory Committee and will advise the Board on interoperability, participant relationships, privacy, security, data governance, and health equity. Jennifer Lamprecht of Sanford Health and Dr. Justine Mrosak of Hennepin Healthcare have been appointed to co-chair the committee, which will include consumer representatives alongside members representing a cross-section of Minnesota's health care community. Protecting patient privacy This transition changes who operates Minnesota's health information exchange. It does not change how patient information is protected or who may access it. MNSHINE will continue to operate in compliance with HIPAA and the Minnesota Health Records Act, which is among the strongest patient-consent laws in the nation, and in compliance with the participant agreements that govern how information is exchanged. Health information exchange and measurement will each remain governed by their own legal and contractual requirements, and bringing them into one organization does not change the purposes for which patient information may be used.
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