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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 7 of 7 Research Studies DisplayedRoberts ET, Desai SM
Does Medicaid coverage of Medicare cost sharing affect physician care for dual-eligible Medicare beneficiaries?
The objective of this paper was to assess changes in physicians' provision of care to duals (low-income individuals with Medicare and Medicaid) in response to a policy that required Medicaid to fully pay Medicare's cost sharing for office visits with these patients. This policy-a provision of the Affordable Care Act-effectively increased payments for office visits with duals by 0%-20%, depending on the state, in 2013 and 2014.
AHRQ-funded; HS026727; HS026980.
Citation: Roberts ET, Desai SM .
Does Medicaid coverage of Medicare cost sharing affect physician care for dual-eligible Medicare beneficiaries?
Health Serv Res 2021 Jun;56(3):528-39. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13650..
Keywords: Medicare, Medicaid, Health Insurance, Access to Care, Healthcare Costs, Low-Income
Fung V, McCarthy S, Price M
Payment discrepancies and access to primary care physicians for dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries.
This study examined whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) primary care fee bump for dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries impacted primary care physicians (PCP) acceptance of duals. The authors assessed differences in the likelihood that PCPs had dual caseloads of ≥10% or 20% in states with lower versus full dual reimbursement using linear probability models adjusted for physician and area-level traits. The proportion of PCPs with dual caseloads of ≥10% or 20% decreased significantly between 2012 and 2017. The fee bump was not consistently associated with increases in dual caseloads.
AHRQ-funded; HS024725.
Citation: Fung V, McCarthy S, Price M .
Payment discrepancies and access to primary care physicians for dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries.
Med Care 2021 Jun;59(6):487-94. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001525..
Keywords: Primary Care, Medicaid, Medicare, Health Insurance, Payment, Access to Care
Reistetter TA, Eschbach K K, Prochaska J
Understanding variation in postacute care: developing rehabilitation service areas through geographic mapping.
This study’s goal was to demonstrate a method for developing rehabilitation service areas for post-acute care. A secondary analysis of 2013-2014 Medicare records for older patients in Texas (n = 469,172) was conducted. The analysis included admission records for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and long-term care hospitals. The authors used Ward’s algorithm to cluster patient ZIP code tabulation areas based on which facilities patients were admitted to for rehabilitation. They set the number of rehabilitation clusters to 22 to allow for comparison to the 22 hospital referral regions. Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and variance in the number of rehabilitation beds across areas were the methods used to evaluate rehabilitation service areas. The service areas had a higher ICC and variance in beds than the hospital referral regions.
AHRQ-funded; HS024711.
Citation: Reistetter TA, Eschbach K K, Prochaska J .
Understanding variation in postacute care: developing rehabilitation service areas through geographic mapping.
Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2021 May;100(5):465-72. doi: 10.1097/phm.0000000000001577..
Keywords: Elderly, Rehabilitation, Medicare, Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Home Healthcare, Access to Care
Sanchez JI, Shankaran V, Unger JM
Inequitable access to surveillance colonoscopy among Medicare beneficiaries with surgically resected colorectal cancer.
After colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery, surveillance with colonoscopy is an important step for the early detection of local recurrence. Unfortunately, surveillance colonoscopy is underused, especially among racial/ethnic minorities. This study assessed the association between patient and neighborhood factors and receipt of surveillance colonoscopy. The investigators concluded that receipt of initial surveillance colonoscopy remained low, and that there were acute disparities between Black and NHW patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS013853.
Citation: Sanchez JI, Shankaran V, Unger JM .
Inequitable access to surveillance colonoscopy among Medicare beneficiaries with surgically resected colorectal cancer.
Cancer 2021 Feb;127(3):412-21. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33262..
Keywords: Colonoscopy, Cancer: Colorectal Cancer, Cancer, Access to Care, Screening, Prevention, Disparities, Medicare
Fung V, Price M, Hull P
Assessment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's increase in fees for primary care and access to care for dual-eligible beneficiaries.
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the Affordable Care Act (ACA) fee bump and primary care visits for dual-eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Medicare claims data from 2012 to 2016 was used. Findings showed that the ACA fee bump was not associated with increases in primary care visits for dual-eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Additionally, visits for dual-eligible beneficiaries with primary care physicians decreased after the ACA, a decrease that was partially offset by increases in visits with nonphysician clinicians.
AHRQ-funded; HS024725; HS025378.
Citation: Fung V, Price M, Hull P .
Assessment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's increase in fees for primary care and access to care for dual-eligible beneficiaries.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Jan;4(1):e2033424. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.33424..
Keywords: Access to Care, Medicaid, Medicare, Health Insurance, Healthcare Costs, Policy
Zhou M, Oakes AH, Bridges JFP
Regional supply of medical resources and systemic overuse of health care among Medicare beneficiaries.
The goal of this study was to explore health care system factors associated with regional variation in overuse of resources, as measured by the Johns Hopkins Overuse Index (JHOI). Medicare fee-for-service claims data from beneficiaries age 65 was used to calculate the JHOI for 306 hospital referral regions in the U.S. Regions with a higher density of primary care physicians had a lower JHOI, which indicates less systemic overuse. Regional characteristics associated with higher JHOI included the number of acute care hospital beds per 1000 residents and number of hospital-based anesthesiologists, pathologists, and radiologists. The authors conclude that regional variations in health care resources are associated with the level of systemic overuse of health care, and that the role of primary care doctors in reducing overuse deserves further attention.
AHRQ-funded; T32 HS000029.
Citation: Zhou M, Oakes AH, Bridges JFP .
Regional supply of medical resources and systemic overuse of health care among Medicare beneficiaries.
J Gen Intern Med 2018 Dec;33(12):2127-31. doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4638-9..
Keywords: Access to Care, Elderly, Healthcare Delivery, Healthcare Utilization, Medicare, Practice Patterns
Gowrisankaran G, Lucarelli C, Schmidt-Dengler P
Can amputation save the hospital? The impact of the Medicare Rural Flexibility Program on demand and welfare.
This paper sought to understand the impact of the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program on hospital choice and consumer welfare for rural residents. The Flex Program created a new class of hospital, the Critical Access Hospital (CAH), which received more generous Medicare reimbursements in return for limits on capacity and length of stay. The investigators found that conversion to CAH status resulted in a 4.7 percent drop in inpatient admissions to participating hospitals, almost all of which was driven by factors other than capacity constraints.
AHRQ-funded; HS018424.
Citation: Gowrisankaran G, Lucarelli C, Schmidt-Dengler P .
Can amputation save the hospital? The impact of the Medicare Rural Flexibility Program on demand and welfare.
J Health Econ 2018 Mar;58:110-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.01.004..
Keywords: Rural Health, Access to Care, Hospitals, Medicare, Payment