Aligning for Impact: Minnesota’s Health Data Evolution

A 2026 Leadership Series from the MNCM Board Chair & President

Q1-2026 | Advancing a Cooperative Vision for Minnesota's Health Data Future

As we begin 2026, MN Community Measurement’s Board of Directors has taken an important step toward strengthening Minnesota’s health data infrastructure. In January, the Board authorized the initiation of an Executive Leadership Council (ELC), convened in partnership with the Minnesota Electronic Health Records Consortium (MN EHRC) and Koble, to explore the development of a cooperative, statewide approach to health data.

MNCM is pleased to announce Dr. Mark Steffen as the 2026 Board Chair! Dr. Steffen has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2019. Over the past several years, he has served on both the Executive and Finance Committees and spent two years as Vice Chair of the Board. Dr. Steffen serves as Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, overseeing health strategies for the non-profit health plan and its 3 million members. Leading a multidisciplinary team, he is responsible for medical and behavioral health policies, provider network relations, population health, pharmacy and affordability of care initiatives. Dr. Steffen is an experienced medical doctor and healthcare executive, with board certifications in Family Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Occupational Medicine. His career includes leadership roles at Mayo Clinic, Fairview Red Wing Medical Center, and in managed care with a focus on population health and value‑based care. He holds his medical degree as well as degrees in biochemistry/molecular biology and public health from the University of Minnesota. In addition to serving as Board Chair for MN Community Measurement, he also chairs the board of Blue Plus, and serves on the board of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation. 

Dr. Robinson is a family medicine physician who has practiced with Fairview for the past 27 years.  His present clinical practice is in Prior Lake, MN and he is one of three Vice Presidents of Medical Practice for the Primary Care Service Line, helping to oversee twelve primary care clinic sites.  He also serves as the pacesetter for quality and safety for primary care and in that capacity help refine our ambulatory care composite for quality as well as a variety of projects related to improving the delivery and outcome of quality in the ambulatory care setting. We're pleased to have him on the Board!   

MY2024 Results Live on Performance Hub!

Final MY2024 statewide results for quality and cost measures are now live on MNCM’s Performance Hub. Our Performance Hub provides comprehensive analyses of health care quality and cost measures through an interactive platform. These insights are brought to life through our dynamic Performance Reports, delivering a detailed view of healthcare outcomes and disparities. 

Just Released: 2025 Annual Accomplishments Report

We are pleased to share that MN Community Measurement’s 2025 Annual Report to the Community is now available! This report highlights the collective progress we have made over the past year, including key accomplishments and the impact of our shared commitment to improving health care quality, equity, and affordability. 

This work is only possible because of your collaboration. As a valued partner — your engagement, expertise, and contributions help shape the meaningful advancements reflected in this report. MNCM belongs to the community, and we are honored to serve as its stewards in advancing the strategic priorities defined by our Board of Directors.

We invite you to explore the report and celebrate the impact we’ve made together. You can access it below.

Thank you for your continued partnership and dedication. We look forward to working with you in the year ahead to build on this progress and further our shared mission. 

MNCM Record Retention Policy Implementation Update

At MNCM, protecting the data entrusted to us is one of our most important responsibilities. To uphold that commitment, our Data Integrity & Validation and Technology & Security teams carried out a data cleanup to implement our updated Records Retention policy. This effort aligned legacy data with approved retention periods designed to preserve only the minimum data necessary to support measure result calculation and reporting, research participation, operational continuity, and regulatory expectations. In practical terms, we securely removed data that no longer met retention criteria and confirmed that the information we maintain across all environments reflects our approved standards. This work reinforces MNCM’s commitment to disciplined data stewardship, regulatory compliance, and the responsible management of sensitive information.

Questions about the implementation of this policy can be directed to support@mncm.org.

MN Community Measurement’s Measurement and Reporting Committee (MARC) invites applications to fill three vacant positions following the expiration of member terms in December 2024.

The open positions include:

• Consumer representative
• Health plan representative
• Clinician from metro health care organization 

About the Committee 

The MARC is a committee of the MNCM Board of Directors with a broad membership of community stakeholders. The purpose of this committee is to recommend measurement priorities and specifications to the Board of Directors and to recommend guiding principles and/or policies for the public reporting of measures by MNCM. The MARC establishes and oversees measure review and prioritization activities as well as workgroup recommendations. MARC members may be asked to serve on a measure development work group.

• Meeting Frequency: Four meetings per year – February, May, August, December
• Attendance/Participation Requirements: Members are required to attend/participate in at least 75% of the meetings. Meetings are typically conducted virtually. 
• Member Term Length: Committee member terms are two years in length, staggered to ensure continuity. After the initial term, committee members have the option to renew for two additional terms. At the end of the third term, committee members may reapply for appointment. 

How to Apply 

To apply for one of these positions, please fill out the application through the following link by close of business on Friday, March 20th. Apply by using the link below.



Applications will be reviewed by MARC co-chairs and the Chair of the MNCM Board of Directors at the end of March. Applicants will be notified of their decision in early April. 

MNCM strives to achieve a balance across stakeholder representation on the committee.  The current roster of MARC members can be found on our website: https://www.mncm.org/measurement-reporting

If you have any questions about the committee, please contact Jess Donovan at donovan@mncm.org. 

Looking Ahead: Q4 Preview

Report Releases

Over the next couple of months, MNCM will be releasing its series of annual quality reports for MY2024, including: 

• Health Care in Minnesota: Summary Report: This report provides comprehensive analyses on Minnesota’s performance on health care quality, disparities, and cost. 
• Performance Leaders Report: This report will highlight medical groups that achieved above expected results across measures and spotlight medical groups who have made significant improvements over recent years. 
• Health Care in Minnesota: Disparities by Insurance Type Report: This report, released in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health & Human Services, provides statewide and medical group rates among patients enrolled in Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) for the clinical quality measures. 



As always, release of these reports will be announced through special notice to our partners. Stay tuned!

In Case You Missed It

In January, MNCM launched its 2026 series of infographics, Connected Through Data. The first infographic and blog post was released in January in honor of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Click the links below to view the infographic and blog.

 Infographic | Blog Post