Massachusetts

Medicare Migraine Prescribing Gap Report

95.8%

of primary care physicians actively prescribing triptans to Medicare patients in Massachusetts have never prescribed a CGRP medication

342gap PCPs
15prescribing CGRPs
357 total active prescribers

How Massachusetts compares

Massachusetts95.8%
National average90.4%

Massachusetts's 95.8% gap is 5.4 points above the national average of 90.4%. 342 of 357 primary care physicians with an active Medicare migraine patient panel have never written a CGRP prescription.

Metro breakdown

CityActive prescribersNever prescribed CGRPGap %
Boston242291.7%
Worcester1818100%

About the data

Based on CMS Medicare Part D prescribing data — the only publicly available provider-level prescribing dataset in the United States. Active prescriber = 20+ triptan claims in the observation period. Medicare patients represent a subset of the total migraine population; the true gap is likely larger. Full methodology →

What drives the gap

Prior authorization burden is the primary structural explanation for this gap. The Headache Vault's PA Engine helps primary care physicians navigate CGRP prior authorizations in Massachusetts and all 50 states — free for all clinicians.

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Citation

Doty A. Migraine Prescribing Gap in Massachusetts. The Headache Vault; 2026.
Available at: https://headachevault.com/research/prescribing-gap/massachusetts/
Licensed CC BY 4.0.
Data: CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber Public Use Files, 2022-2023.
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