Health Care Costs Of Alzheimer's And Related Dementias Within A Medicare Managed Care Provider
Paul A. Fishman, Lindsay White, Bailey Ingraham, Sungchul Park, Eric B. Larson, Paul Crane, Norma B. Coe
Abstract [from journal]
Background: Although one third of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, there is limited information about the cost of treating Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) in these settings.
Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate direct health care costs attributable to ADRD among older adults within a large MA plan.
Research design: A retrospective cohort design was used to estimate direct total, outpatient, inpatient
...The Beneficial Effects Of Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans For Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease
Brian W. Powers, Jiali Yan, Jingsan Zhu, Kristin A. Linn, Sachin H. Jain, Jennifer Kowalski, Amol S. Navathe
Abstract [from journal]
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are a vulnerable population with high rates of morbidity, mortality, and acute care use. Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are an alternative financing and delivery model designed to improve care and reduce costs for patients with ESRD, but little is known about their impact. We used detailed clinical, demographic, and claims data to identify fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries who switched to ESRD SNPs offered by a single health plan (SNP enrollees) and similar
...Association Of Medicare Advantage Penetration With Per Capita Spending, Emergency Department Visits, And Readmission Rates Among Fee-for-Service Medicare Beneficiaries With High Comorbidity Burden
Sungchul Park, Brent A. Langellier, Robert E. Burke, Jose F. Figueroa, Norma B. Coe
Abstract [from journal]
Rapid growth of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans has the potential to change clinical practice for both MA and fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries, particularly for high-need, high-cost beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions or a costly single condition. We assessed whether MA growth from 2010 to 2017 spilled over to county-level per capita spending, emergency department visits, and readmission rates among FFS beneficiaries, and how much this varied by the comorbidity burden of the beneficiary. We also examined whether the
...Penn Population Aging Research Center Gets $2 Million NIA Grant
COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Telemedicine Care
While COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for the U.S. health care system, it has also accelerated innovation, including the use and adoption of telemedicine.
Lee Fleisher Named CMS Chief Medical Officer
What Do We Know About Health Insurance Choice?
From choosing a doctor to selecting an insurance plan, choices pervade nearly all aspects of our health care system. However, there is little agreement among policymakers and the public about what constitutes “choice,” which choices are important, and how and whether patients should be asked to make various health care choices. Although Americans claim to value having health insurance choices, research shows that when presented with options, people do not actually like to choose. Other studies suggest that people frequently make health insurance decisions that leave them worse off, or not much better than before. At Penn LDI’s Medicare for All and Beyond conference, a panel of researchers and policy experts discussed the current evidence around health insurance choice and implications for future health care reform efforts. This brief summarizes the panel’s key takeaways.
Payment and Pricing Decisions in Health Care Reform
Any effort to reform health insurance in the United States must tackle the prices we pay for health care. There are many complex challenges to addressing prices. Some proposals build on the existing Medicare fee schedule, while others suggest promoting alternative payment mechanisms—or even starting from scratch. The stakes are substantial, as many reform proposals rely on reining in prices to achieve the savings necessary to expand health insurance to the uninsured. At Penn’s LDI Medicare for All and Beyond conference, a panel of researchers, hospital administrators, and policy experts considered issues related to health care payment and pricing that any health care reform proposal must address, including the implications of rate setting for providers and patients. At what level should these rates be set to assure access and quality of care, while incentivizing innovation and rewarding excellence?
How COVID-19 Disrupts the National Health Insurance Industry
Setting Standards for Affordable Health Care
In the run-up to the presidential election, the affordability of health care remains a top concern of the American voting public. But how do we know when health care is affordable? On a policy level, how do we set a standard for affordability that can be implemented in a reformed system? Sometimes policy debates about affordability focus only on whether insurance premiums are affordable, although consumers tend to be concerned about both premiums and out-of-pocket costs. At Penn LDI’s Medicare for All and Beyond conference, a panel of researchers, policy experts, and consumer advocates discussed and debated affordability in theory and practice. This issue brief summarizes the panel’s insights.
Pediatric Outpatient Utilization By Differing Medicaid Payment Models In The United States
Therese L Canares, Ari Friedman, Jonathan Rodean, Rebecca R. Burns, Deena Berkowitz, Matt Hall, Elizabeth Alpern, Amanda Montalbano
Abstract [from journal]
Background: In the United States (US), Medicaid capitated managed care costs are controlled by optimizing patients' healthcare utilization. Adults in capitated plans utilize primary care providers (PCP) more than emergency departments (ED), compared to fee-for-service (FFS). Pediatric data are lacking. We aim to determine the association between US capitated and FFS Medicaid payment models and children's outpatient utilization.
Methods: This retrospective cohort compared outpatient utilization
...Recent Trends In Medicare Utilization And Reimbursement For Lumbar Spine Fusion And Discectomy Procedures
Cesar D. Lopez, Venkat Boddapati, Joseph M. Lombardi, Nathan J. Lee, Comron Saifi, Marc Dyrszka, Zeeshan Sardar, Lawrence G. Lenke, Ronald A Lehman
Abstract [from journal]
Background context: Understanding the scope of the volume and costs of lumbar fusions and discectomy procedures, as well as identifying significant trends within the Medicare system, may be beneficial in enhancing cost-efficiency and care delivery. However, there is a paucity of studies which analyze recent trends in lumbar fusion volume, utilization, and reimbursements.
Purpose: This study seeks to define the costs of lumbar fusions and discectomy procedures and identify trends and variations
...The Influence Of Medicare for All On Reimbursement For Emergency Care Treat-and-Release Visits
Alexander Pomerantz, Ryan Burke, Ari Friedman, Laura Burke, Richard Wolfe, Peter Smulowitz
Abstract [from journal]
Study objective: Single-payer health care is supported by most Americans, but the effect of single payer on any particular sector of the health care market has not been well explored. We examine the effect of 2 potential single-payer designs, Medicare for All and an alternative including Medicare and Medicaid, on total payments and out-of-pocket spending for treat-and-release emergency care (patients discharged after an emergency department [ED] visit).
Methods: We used the 2013 to 2016 Medical
...Physician Groups in ACOs Don’t Avoid Vulnerable Patients
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are the largest experiment in payment reforms, but the incentive structure may lead participating physician groups to select fewer vulnerable patients. In a new study in JAMA Network Open, my colleagues and I tested whether physician groups changed their proportions of black patients and patients with low socioeconomic status after joining the Medicare ACO, and found that – in general – they did not.
Surgical Care in Accountable Care Organizations
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) figure prominently in Medicare’s shift “from volume to value.” Providers in ACOs assume financial accountability for overall quality and costs for a defined patient population, and they earn shared savings for containing spending below a defined benchmark. To date, most ACOs have focused on primary care, outpatient services, and care management for patients with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart failure.