What’s Coming
Beginning September 30, 2025, all California hospitals licensed as general acute, children’s, and acute psychiatric hospitals must submit to the state (HCAI) detailed equity reports containing two parts:
- Equity Report:
- 11 structural measures
- 2-9 stratified core quality measures across 9 variables (e.g., race/ethnicity, age, payor, language)
- Numerators, denominators, and rates for each core quality measure by stratification category
- 2,004 (GAC), 1,863 (APH), 484 (Children’s), 2,812 (System) data fields
- Equity Plan:
- Top 10 Disparities among stratified core measures
- A comprehensive health equity plan to prioritize and reduce the disparities including “population impact,” measurable objectives, and specific timeframes
- Describe performance across 6 priority areas (e.g., care coordination, access to care, etc.)
Which Hospitals are Required to Report?
2024 List of Required Hospitals for Hospital Equity Measures Report Submission
For the full text of the bill establishing these requirements, visit the Legislature’s website. Implementing HCAI Regulations are final — so get started today!
HQI Can Help Hospitals Save Time & Money
Because hospitals that participate in HQIP already share these data, HQI can facilitate this reporting by:
- Providing an HCAI-compliant report in a ready-to-upload format (>95% complete)
- Integrating data from existing sources to avoid custom data pulls for your team
- Preparing core measures based on tested algorithms and integrating structural measures from CMS
- Stratifying by all variables possible based on the source data
- Building the pre-filled numerators, denominators, rates, and rate ratios
- Applying the required California HHS Data De-Identification Guidelines (DDG)
- Identifying your Top 10 Disparities and providing a template for the 10 fields hospitals must supply
- Creating the comma-separated variable (.csv) file formatted as required for upload to HCAI
- Accessing our expert support team to help with finalizing your report: hqianalytics@hqinstitute.org
Complete the AB 1204 Equity Reporting Contract
Review the Summary Table of the measures and strata that HQI will populate for hospitals and systems.
Learn more about the Hospital Quality Improvement Platform

The reporting deadline is approaching quickly. Get more details and contact us now to reserve your spot. If you’re not a member of HQIP, now is the time to join!
More details are available in HQI’s flyer.
HQI Guidance & Templates
- Download the Health Equity Reporting User Guide.
- Access the Hospital Equity Report User Input Template.
- Learn about HQI’s Hospital Equity Report Cell Suppression Procedures.
- Review the Hospital Equity Report Website Posting Guidance.
HCAI Guidance & Documentation
- Read HCAI Laws & Regulations.
- Details about the Hospital Equity Measures Reporting Program on HCAI’s website.
- Format and File Specification for Submission of the Hospital Equity Report Version 1.2 March 10, 2025 (Excel) (Word).
Submit Hospital Equity Measures Reports to HCAI
- HCAI Hospital Report Submission Portal: The Hospital Disclosures and Compliance (HDC) system.
- Instructions for creating an account in HCAI’s QuickStart Guide – Getting Started.