An Act relative to culturally competent and effective health care

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Chynah Tyler

Requires facilities to collect and publish aggregated data on physician workforce diversity and demographics to analyze links to health outcomes, annually.

Reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Health Care Financing

Purpose and intent

To collect, analyze, and publicly publish data on the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and educational characteristics of the physician workforce in Massachusetts.

To assess the relationship between physician workforce diversity and health outcomes in the Commonwealth.

To improve transparency and support efforts toward culturally competent health care.

Key provisions

Data collection and public reporting (Section 245)

The Board of Registration in Medicine (Board) and the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) shall collect data on the physician workforce and publish aggregated results.

Facilities licensed under Section 51 of Chapter 111 must provide updated data to both the Board and CHIA on a yearly basis for physicians, medical fellows, interns, and residents, including:

Demographic information: race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation
Linguistic information
Medical specialty/subspecialty
Duration of practice in Massachusetts
Duration of practice at the current facility
Highest professional level/leadership appointment
Highest academic appointment
Highest educational debt
Employment status: part-time, full-time, or per diem

Data must be aggregated and published on the Board’s website no more than 60 days after the end of each year.

Reporting and oversight (Section 2)

CHIA shall report the collected data to:

Clerks of the Massachusetts House and Senate
The Joint Committee on Public Health
the Department of Public Health

The annual report to these offices must be provided no later than February 28 of each calendar year.

Effective date (Section 3)

The act becomes effective 90 days after enactment.

Who is affected

Physicians, medical fellows, interns, and residents practicing in Massachusetts.

Health care facilities licensed under Section 51 of Chapter 111.

Regulatory and public health entities: Board of Registration in Medicine, CHIA, Clerks of the House and Senate, Joint Committee on Public Health, and the Department of Public Health.

Procedural status and timeline

Introduced: October 20, 2025.

Reported favorably by the Committee on Public Health and referred to the Committee on Health Care Financing.

Related petition: House, No. 2550 (collection/publication of workforce data by race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation) referenced in the committee report.

Practical impact and considerations

Establishes a framework for transparent, aggregated data on physician workforce diversity and related factors.

Enables analysis of correlations between workforce characteristics and health outcomes to inform policy and equity initiatives.

Requires facilities to collect additional data elements, potentially with administrative and privacy considerations, though data published is aggregated.

Sets a clear annual publication cadence (within 60 days of year-end) and a formal annual reporting deadline (February 28).

Bill