An Act updating high-cost hospital and Health Policy Commission system accountability

This bill updates Massachusetts laws to improve oversight of high-cost hospitals and the state's health policy system. It requires the Health Policy Commission to consider broader factors, such as patient demographics and payer mix, when evaluating hospital performance. Additionally, the law changes the financial penalty threshold for hospitals, linking fines directly to how much their spending exceeds a state benchmark. A new provision also directs a state center to confidentially identify hospitals with excessive spending growth or high relative prices for further review.