Human Services Research Institute

What Human Services Research Institute does

Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) is a 50-year-old private nonprofit research and consulting organization founded in 1976 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It operates with a team of 80+ nationally recognized experts to deliver research, evaluation, program implementation, data and statistical services, and technical assistance to state and federal government agencies in health and human services. Core specialty areas include Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, Aging & Disabilities, Behavioral Health, Child/Youth/Family, Housing & Homelessness, and Population Health.

HSRI's product portfolio centers on the National Core Indicators (NCI) program — jointly administered with the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) — which collects standardized quality outcome data directly from individuals receiving state developmental disability and aging services across 27 participating states. The organization builds and operates cloud-based data platforms including Verity Analytics for healthcare and human services data, All-Payer Claims Database solutions (deployed for Maine since 2012 and Oregon), and consumer-facing web tools such as the CompareMaine healthcare transparency website (covering 220+ procedures and 280+ facilities) and the OhioKAN geospatial resource locator (10,000+ resources). NORC at the University of Chicago serves as a recurring technology and engineering partner across these platforms.

HSRI generates revenue exclusively through professional services contracts procured via government RFPs, sole-source negotiations, and federal task orders, with clients spanning state health and human services departments, state developmental disability agencies, state health foundations, and federal agencies including the Administration for Community Living, SAMHSA, CMS, CDC, and ASPE. Contracts are typically multi-year, funded through state budgets or federal grants, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The organization also holds federal technical assistance center roles (TBI-TARC, I/DD Counts logistics) and pursues systems redesign and person-centered practices consulting engagements across the U.S.

Name

Human Services Research Institute

Legal name

Human Services Research Institute

Website

https://hsri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Human Services Research Institute is a 50-year-old private nonprofit research and consulting firm based in Cambridge, MA, providing research, evaluation, data analytics, and technical assistance to state and federal health and human services agencies across intellectual/developmental disabilities, aging, behavioral health, and population health.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Research and Evaluation Contracts: HSRI generates revenue through direct contracts with state government agencies for research, evaluation, and program assessment services. These are typically multi-year engagements funded through state budgets or federal grants.
2. Federal Agency Contracts: Contracts with federal agencies including the Administration for Community Living (ACL), SAMHSA, CMS, and CDC for national initiatives, technical assistance centers, and cross-agency data programs.
3. Technical Assistance Services: Providing technical assistance and training to state agencies implementing new programs, systems redesign, or quality improvement initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HSRI is a research and consulting organization that provides research, evaluation, program implementation, data and statistical services, and technical assistance to state and federal government agencies in human services and public health. It co-leads the National Core Indicators (NCI) program, the largest multi-state quality measurement initiative for developmental disability services in the U.S., and builds data warehousing, analytics platforms, and web-based transparency and resource-locator tools for state clients.

Product overview

Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) is a research organization that provides a portfolio of interconnected solutions for public health and human services systems. The core offerings include All-Payer Claims Database solutions, the National Core Indicators (NCI) program for quality monitoring across developmental disability and aging services, Person-Centered Practices methodology, Systems Redesign consulting, and Verity Analytics for data processing. HSRI also develops specific web-based tools including the OhioKAN Resource Locator for kinship services navigation, the CompareMaine healthcare transparency website, and state data warehouses for Maine and Oregon. The organization serves as logistics contractor for national initiatives like I/DD Counts and administers technical assistance centers such as TBI-TARC. Rather than a single unified software product, HSRI operates as a solutions provider combining research, data analytics platforms, technical assistance, and program implementation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• All-Payer Claims Database A data management solution that collects, validates, and warehouses healthcare claims data from multiple payers, enabling state agencies to analyze cost, quality, and utilization across healthcare systems.
• National Core Indicators (NCI) A collaborative quality monitoring program co-led with NASDDDS that collects standardized data directly from individuals receiving state developmental disability and aging/disability services to assess outcomes and system performance; includes the NCI-IDD and NCI-AD survey initiatives.
• Person-Centered Practices An approach and set of practices that focus on individual preferences, strengths, and goals in designing and delivering human services, emphasizing self-determination and community inclusion.
• Systems Redesign Strategic consulting to help public agencies redesign service delivery systems, including policy analysis, implementation planning, and transformation support.
• Verity Analytics

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% of surveyed individuals report they are able to get places when they want to do something outside their home (NCI-IDD 2021-2022)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• New York State Health FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Funded by the New York State Health Foundation, HSRI examined an inventory of over 230 healthcare transparency tools and provided recommendations for state policy improvements.
• Maine Health Data OrganizationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012HSRI partnered with MHDO and NORC to design and build a state-of-the-art data submission system and data warehouse for Maine's all-payer claims and hospital encounter data.
• National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSRI and NASDDDS co-lead the National Core Indicators (NCI) program, a research and quality monitoring initiative involving 27 state DD agencies that collects data directly from service recipients to drive systems improvement.
• Administration for Community Living (ACL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSRI serves as logistics contractor for ACL's I/DD Counts initiative, working with federal agencies including ASPE, CDC, CMS, and NIH to strengthen infrastructure for disability data collection and coordination.
• Oregon Health AuthoritymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSRI collaborates with Oregon Health Authority and NORC at the University of Chicago to build the APAC data management solution for All Payer All Claims healthcare data.
• Ohio Department of Job and Family ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSRI contributed foundational research and developed an interactive web-based resource locator tool for OhioKAN, a kinship and post-adoptive family navigation program.
• NORC at the University of ChicagocoreTechnology or IntegrationNORC serves as technology and engineering partner on multiple HSRI projects including Maine data warehouse, Oregon APAC, and CompareMaine healthcare transparency website.
• Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSRI partnered with TAC on Louisiana behavioral health needs assessment and North Carolina Olmstead Plan analysis.
• Burns & Associates/Health Management Associates (HMA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHSRI worked with HMA on Arizona provider network development project and South Dakota behavioral health needs assessment.
• National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSRI and NASHIA co-administered the Traumatic Brain Injury Technical Assistance and Resource Center (TBI TARC) for ACL, helping states promote access to integrated TBI services.
• Colorado State University Social Work Research CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHSRI partnered with CSU for the Colorado IV-E Waiver demonstration evaluation alongside Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
• Chapin Hall at the University of ChicagominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHSRI partnered with Chapin Hall for the Colorado IV-E Waiver demonstration evaluation alongside Colorado State University.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Westat: Employee-owned research firm providing statistical, survey, and evaluation services to federal and state agencies. Comparable to HSRI in serving HHS agencies with evaluation, TA, and large-scale data collection, with a broader survey-research footprint.
• Health Management Associates (HMA): National healthcare consulting firm focused on Medicaid, behavioral health, and state health policy. HMA has partnered with HSRI on Arizona provider network development and South Dakota behavioral health work and competes for similar state agency engagements.
• Mathematica: Policy research and data analytics consultancy serving federal and state health and human services agencies. Directly comparable to HSRI in evaluation, technical assistance, and Medicaid/HCBS research, but with substantially larger scale and broader service breadth.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research organization that conducts survey, statistical, and data-warehouse work for federal and state agencies. NORC is HSRI's explicit technology and engineering partner on Maine APAC, Oregon APAC, and CompareMaine, and competes for overlapping state health-data contracts.
• Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago: Policy research center focused on child welfare, child welfare financing (including IV-E), and youth systems. Chapin Hall is HSRI's partner on the Colorado IV-E Waiver evaluation and competes for child welfare research and evaluation RFPs.
• The Lewin Group: Health policy and human services consulting firm operating within a larger parent organization. Directly comparable to HSRI in Medicaid, HCBS, and behavioral health state agency advisory work, with similar client base and contract structures.
• Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC): Nonprofit that provides consulting and technical assistance to states on behavioral health, housing, and disability services. TAC has partnered with HSRI on Louisiana behavioral health and North Carolina Olmstead Plan work and competes for overlapping state agency engagements.

Others

• National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS): Member association representing state DD agencies and HSRI's co-lead on the National Core Indicators program. While not a commercial competitor, NASDDDS shapes the DD policy and quality-measurement landscape in which HSRI operates and is a critical strategic counterpart rather than direct rival.

Broad incumbents

• RTI International: Large nonprofit research institute with deep health and human services practices serving federal agencies. Competes with HSRI on disability, behavioral health, and population health research contracts at greater scale and with broader cross-disciplinary capabilities.
• Abt Associates: Research and consulting firm with major federal health and social services programs. Overlaps with HSRI on disability, behavioral health, and state health data work, and offers broader survey and policy capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@humanservicesresearchinstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/humanservicesresearchinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/human-services-research-institute
• Xx.com/hsri

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Human Services Research Institute