Quality of Care in Minnesota Shows Improvement Pre-COVID 

March 9, 2021

MN Community Measurement releases Minnesota Health Care Quality Report: Results for Care Delivered in 2019

Minnesota health care providers made encouraging improvements in quality of care in the year leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from MN Community Measurement (MNCM). The percentage of adults who received optimal diabetes care and those who were up to date on colorectal cancer screenings both increased in 2019. In addition, the share of adolescents who received mental health and/or depression screening at well care visits also increased.

The pandemic has had impacts throughout the health care system, including on chronic disease management and preventive care, and has added to previous concerns about mental health. People with certain chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease are known to be at higher risk for severe cases of COVID-19. In addition, missing out on preventive care like cancer screenings can lead to more serious problems if a disease is not detected until it is more advanced.

MNCM produces comprehensive, trusted data that helps to monitor health care quality and outcomes in Minnesota. MNCM will be a key source of information going forward regarding how the pandemic has impacted health care and health outcomes in Minnesota, and how health care providers adapt to deliver high-quality care both during the pandemic and after it subsides. Data from MNCM are used by health care providers, health plans, state agencies, employers, and consumers to better understand variation in quality and cost of health care in Minnesota and to drive improvement over time.

The most recent results come from data reported to MNCM in 2020, covering services received by patients in 2019. Report highlights include:

  • Statewide, the percentage of adults who were up to date on colorectal cancer screening increased from 71.1 percent to 73.2 percent.
  • The percentage of people with diabetes who received optimal care to manage their disease increased from 44.9 percent to 45.4 percent.
  • The percentage of adolescents receiving mental health and/or depression screening at a well care check-up increased from 86.1 percent to 88.7 percent.

This year’s report includes information on outcomes of depression care for adolescents for the first time. Less than half (43.4 percent) of adolescents with depression received a follow-up assessment after six months, and only 8 percent were in remission after six months.

Despite improvement in key areas, the report also documents performance declines for two key measures: optimal asthma control for children (fell from 59.9 percent to 58.3 percent), and optimal vascular care (fell from 61.1 percent to 60.3 percent).

“While there continue to be large opportunities for improvement, it’s encouraging to see progress in some key areas,” said Julie Sonier, MNCM President and CEO. “It’s not easy to move the needle on many of these important indicators that reflect quality of health care in Minnesota, so we want to celebrate progress, highlight successes, and learn what works to improve care.”

Nine medical groups achieved above-average performance on at least half of the measures included in this year’s report for which they were eligible. Those groups are:

  • CentraCare Health.
  • Entira Family Clinics.
  • Essentia Health.
  • Fairview Health Services.
  • HealthPartners Central Minnesota Clinics.
  • HealthPartners Clinics.
  • Mankato Clinic, Ltd.
  • Park Nicollet Health Services.
  • Westfields Hospital and Clinic.

The Minnesota Health Care Quality Report: Results for Care Delivered in 2019 includes data on measures for preventive care, care for chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, depression care, and other measures. An appendix to the report includes detailed quality information for 159 medical groups and 891 clinics in Minnesota and neighboring states, and consumers can also search the data using an interactive tool at www.mnhealthscores.org.

Importance of Measurement

Measuring and reporting health care quality helps consumers understand how care varies across providers, allows providers to identify improvement opportunities and how their measures compare to others, and helps health plans and other purchasers better understand and improve value for money that is spent on health care.

“Minnesota is quite unique in the capabilities that we’ve built to measure and report on health care outcomes,” said Sonier. “Having a common set of priorities and common set of data have been huge assets to our state in focusing efforts to drive improvement.”

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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