National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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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 25 of 30 Research Studies DisplayedReid RO, Mafi JN, Baseman LH
Waste in the Medicare program: a national cross-sectional analysis of 2017 low-value service use and spending.
Low-value health care services offer patients little to no clinical benefit, increase spending, and may cause patient harm. In this analysis, the investigators provided updated national estimates of low-value service use and spending in Medicare in 2017. The investigators concluded that their findings suggest that targeted interventions to reduce low-value services—particularly the narrow subset responsible for the majority of spending—could substantially reduce wasteful Medicare spending.
AHRQ-funded; HS024067.
Citation: Reid RO, Mafi JN, Baseman LH .
Waste in the Medicare program: a national cross-sectional analysis of 2017 low-value service use and spending.
J Gen Intern Med 2021 Aug;36(8):2478-82. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06061-0..
Keywords: Medicare, Healthcare Costs
Ganguli I, Lupo C, Mainor AJ
Assessment of prevalence and cost of care cascades after routine testing during the Medicare annual wellness visit.
This observational cohort study looked at the prevalence and cost of care cascades after routine tests considered low value in fee-for-service Medicare patients from January 2013 through March 2015 who had gone for an annual wellness visit (AWV). Among the 75,275 AWV recipients identified, 18.6% received at least 1 low-value test including an ECG, urinalysis, or thyrotropin tests. Patients who were younger, White, and lived in urban, high-income areas were most likely to receive those tests. The cost-cascade was considered notable but of modest cost.
AHRQ-funded; HS023812.
Citation: Ganguli I, Lupo C, Mainor AJ .
Assessment of prevalence and cost of care cascades after routine testing during the Medicare annual wellness visit.
JAMA Netw Open 2020 Dec;3(12):e2029891. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.29891..
Keywords: Elderly, Medicare, Healthcare Costs, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Socal MP, Anderson KE, Sen A
Biosimilar uptake in Medicare Part B varied across hospital outpatient departments and physician practices: the case of filgrastim.
The purpose of this study was to examine the uptake of filgrastim-sndz (Zarxio), the first biosimilar to launch in the United States, in the Medicare Part B fee-for-service program from its launch in September 2015 to December 2017 and compare characteristics of patients and facilities that used filgrastim-sndz or originator filgrastim (Neupogen). The investigators concluded that uptake of biosimilar filgrastim in the Medicare Part B program occurred despite multiple challenges to the adoption of biosimilars in the US market, suggesting that substantial potential savings could be generated by improving biosimilar uptake.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Socal MP, Anderson KE, Sen A .
Biosimilar uptake in Medicare Part B varied across hospital outpatient departments and physician practices: the case of filgrastim.
Value Health 2020 Apr;23(4):481-86. doi: 10.1016/j.jval.2019.12.007..
Keywords: Medicare, Practice Patterns, Medication, Healthcare Costs
Markovitz AA, Rozier MD, Ryan AM
Low-value care and clinician engagement in a large Medicare shared savings program ACO: a survey of frontline clinicians.
The purpose of this study was to assess Accountable Care Organization (ACO) engagement of clinicians and whether engagement was associated with clinicians' reported difficulty implementing recommendations against low-value care. Participants included 1289 clinicians in the Physician Organization of Michigan ACO. Results showed that clinicians participating in a large Medicare ACO were broadly unaware of and unengaged with ACO objectives and activities. Whether low clinician engagement limits ACO efforts to reduce low-value care warrants further longitudinal study.
AHRQ-funded; HS024525; HS024728; HS025615.
Citation: Markovitz AA, Rozier MD, Ryan AM .
Low-value care and clinician engagement in a large Medicare shared savings program ACO: a survey of frontline clinicians.
J Gen Intern Med 2020 Jan;35(1):133-41. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05511-8..
Keywords: Medicare, Policy, Provider
Ganguli I, Lupo C, Mainor AJ
Prevalence and cost of care cascades after low-value preoperative electrocardiogram for cataract surgery in fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries.
This study examined the use and outcomes of preoperative electrocardiogram (EKG) for cataract surgery recipients on Medicare. The outcomes measured were cascade events if the EKG results were problematic. The study compared 110,183 cataract surgery recipients with 97,775 non-surgery participants (63.1% female). For the recipient group, 12,408 (11.3%) received a preoperative EKG (65.6% of them were female). Of those, 1978 (15.9%) had at least 1 potential cascade event. Additional tests, treatments, and cardiology visits added an additional estimated $35 million in addition to the $3.2 million spent on preoperative EKGs. Preoperative EKG recipients who were older, had more chronic conditions, lived in more cardiologist-dense areas, or had their EKG performed by a cardiac specialist rather than a primary care physician were more likely to experience a cascade event.
AHRQ-funded; HS023812.
Citation: Ganguli I, Lupo C, Mainor AJ .
Prevalence and cost of care cascades after low-value preoperative electrocardiogram for cataract surgery in fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries.
JAMA Intern Med 2019 Sep;179(9):1157-308. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.1739..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Healthcare Utilization, Surgery, Elderly
Markovitz AA, Hollingsworth JM, Ayanian JZ
Performance in the Medicare Shared Savings Program after accounting for nonrandom exit: an instrumental variable analysis.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) on spending and quality while accounting for clinicians' nonrandom exit. MSSP ACO participants were compared with control beneficiaries using adjusted longitudinal models that accounted for secular trends, market factors, and beneficiary characteristics. Results showed that, after adjustment for clinicians' nonrandom exit, the MSSP was not associated with improvements in spending or quality. Selection effects, including exit of high-cost clinicians, may drive estimates of savings in the MSSP.
AHRQ-funded; HS025615; HS024728; HS024525.
Citation: Markovitz AA, Hollingsworth JM, Ayanian JZ .
Performance in the Medicare Shared Savings Program after accounting for nonrandom exit: an instrumental variable analysis.
Ann Intern Med 2019 Jul 2;171(1):27-36. doi: 10.7326/m18-2539..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Health Services Research (HSR), Medicare, Quality of Care
Markovitz AA, Mullangi S, Hollingsworth JM
ACOs and the 1%: changes in spending among high-cost patients following the Medicare shared savings program.
This paper analyzed changes in spending among high-cost patients following the creation of accountable care organizations (ACOs), specifically for the Medicare Shared Savings Program – which is Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) flagship program. Changes in spending for Medicare fee-for-services were analyzed for different spending percentiles (50th, 90th, and 99th) as well as regionally. While there was a reduction in spending, it was not considered statistically significant and has not affected spending within or across regions. However, the authors note that the study is limited by the program’s voluntary nature and may be not a full reflection of the changes.
AHRQ-funded; HS024525; HS024728; HS025615.
Citation: Markovitz AA, Mullangi S, Hollingsworth JM .
ACOs and the 1%: changes in spending among high-cost patients following the Medicare shared savings program.
J Gen Intern Med 2019 Jul;34(7):1116-18. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-04963-2..
Keywords: Medicare, Healthcare Costs, Payment
Colla CH, Lewis VA, Stachowski C
Changes in use of postacute care associated with accountable care organizations in hip fracture, stroke, and pneumonia hospitalized cohorts.
In this study, researchers examined changes in more and less discretionary condition-specific postacute care use associated with Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) implementation. They found that ACOs decreased spending on postacute care by decreasing use of discretionary services. In addition, ACO implementation was associated with reduced length of stay in skilled nursing facilities, while hip fracture patients used institutional postacute settings at higher rates. The authors also observed decreases in spending, readmission days, and mortality among pneumonia patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS024698.
Citation: Colla CH, Lewis VA, Stachowski C .
Changes in use of postacute care associated with accountable care organizations in hip fracture, stroke, and pneumonia hospitalized cohorts.
Med Care 2019 Jun;57(6):444-52. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001121..
Keywords: Injuries and Wounds, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Utilization, Hospitalization, Medicare, Pneumonia, Stroke
Bain AM, Werner RM, Yuan Y
Do hospitals participating in accountable care organizations discharge patients to higher quality nursing homes?
This study examined whether hospitals participating in Medicare's Shared Saving Program increased use of highly rated skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) or decreased the use of low-rated SNFs after initiation of accountable care organization (ACO) contracts, compared with non-ACO hospitals. The findings indicate that, after joining an ACO, the percentage of hospital discharges going to a high-quality SNF increased slightly; the probability of discharge from ACO-participating hospitals to low-quality SNFs did not change significantly in comparison with non-ACO hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS024266.
Citation: Bain AM, Werner RM, Yuan Y .
Do hospitals participating in accountable care organizations discharge patients to higher quality nursing homes?
J Hosp Med 2019 May;14(5):288-89. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3147..
Keywords: Elderly, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals, Medicare, Nursing Homes, Quality of Care
Blecker S, Herrin J, Li L
Trends in hospital readmission of Medicare-covered patients with heart failure.
This study sought to compare trends in Medicare risk-adjusted, 30-day readmissions following principal heart failure (HF) hospitalizations and other hospitalizations with HF. The investigators found that patients with HF are often hospitalized for other causes, and these hospitalizations have high readmission rates. Policy changes led to decreases in readmission rates for both principal and secondary HF hospitalizations. Readmission rates in both groups remained high, suggesting that initiatives targeting all hospitalized patients with HF continue to be warranted.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882; HS023683.
Citation: Blecker S, Herrin J, Li L .
Trends in hospital readmission of Medicare-covered patients with heart failure.
J Am Coll Cardiol 2019 Mar 12;73(9):1004-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.12.040..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Heart Disease and Health, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitalization, Medicare, Policy
Huckfeldt P, Escarce J, Sood N
Thirty-day postdischarge mortality among black and white patients 65 years and older in the Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.
The goal of this cohort study was to determine whether short-term mortality rates increased among black and white adults 65 years and older after initiation of the Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) and whether trends differed by race. Using an interrupted time-series analysis, the researchers found that short-term post-discharge mortality did not appear to increase for black patients under the HRRP, suggesting that certain value-based payment policies can be implemented without harming black populations. However, mortality seemed to increase for white patients with heart failure; this situation warrants investigation.
AHRQ-funded; HS025394.
Citation: Huckfeldt P, Escarce J, Sood N .
Thirty-day postdischarge mortality among black and white patients 65 years and older in the Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 Mar;2(3):e190634. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.0634..
Keywords: Medicare, Elderly, Mortality, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Hospital Discharge
Desai NR, Ott LS, George EJ
Variation in and hospital characteristics associated with the value of care for Medicare beneficiaries with acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.
The objectives of this study were to investigate the association between hospital-level 30-day risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMRs) and 30-day risk-standardized payments (RSPs) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF), and pneumonia (PNA); to characterize patterns of value in care; and to identify hospital characteristics associated with high-value care (defined by having lower than median RSMRs and RSPs).
AHRQ-funded; HS023000.
Citation: Desai NR, Ott LS, George EJ .
Variation in and hospital characteristics associated with the value of care for Medicare beneficiaries with acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.
JAMA Netw Open 2018 Oct 5;1(6):e183519. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3519..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Elderly, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Heart Disease and Health, Inpatient Care, Medicare, Mortality, Pneumonia
Markovitz AA, Ramsay PP, Shortell SM
Financial incentives and physician practice participation in Medicare's value-based reforms.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether greater experience and success with performance incentives among physician practices are related to increased participation in Medicare's voluntary value-based payment reforms. The authors concluded that Medicare must complement financial incentives with additional efforts to address the needs of practices with less experience with such incentives to promote value-based payment on a broader scale.
AHRQ-funded; HS018546.
Citation: Markovitz AA, Ramsay PP, Shortell SM .
Financial incentives and physician practice participation in Medicare's value-based reforms.
Health Serv Res 2018 Aug;53 Suppl 1:3052-69. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12743..
Keywords: Payment, Medicare, Provider Performance
Hollingsworth JM, Nallamothu BK, Yan P
Medicare accountable care organizations are not associated with reductions in the use of low-value coronary revascularization.
This study examined national Medicare data to determine whether or not Medicare accountable care organizations are associated with reductions in the use of low-value coronary revascularization. The investigators found no association between provider group participation in a Medicare ACO and use of low- or high-value coronary revascularization.
AHRQ-funded; HS024525; HS024728.
Citation: Hollingsworth JM, Nallamothu BK, Yan P .
Medicare accountable care organizations are not associated with reductions in the use of low-value coronary revascularization.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2018 Jun;11(6):e004492. doi: 10.1161/circoutcomes.117.004492..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Healthcare Utilization, Medicare, Heart Disease and Health
Colla CH, Morden NE, Sequist TD
Payer type and low-value care: comparing Choosing Wisely services across commercial and Medicare populations.
This study compared low-value health service use among commercially insured and Medicare populations and explored the influence of payer type on the provision of low-value care. In measuring use of seven Choosing Wisely-identified low-value services, it concluded that low-value care appears driven by factors unrelated to payer type or anticipated reimbursement.
AHRQ-funded; HS023812.
Citation: Colla CH, Morden NE, Sequist TD .
Payer type and low-value care: comparing Choosing Wisely services across commercial and Medicare populations.
Health Serv Res 2018 Apr;53(2):730-46. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12665.
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Keywords: Payment, Healthcare Utilization, Health Services Research (HSR), Medicare
Chen LM, Epstein AM, Orav EJ
Association of practice-level social and medical risk with performance in the Medicare physician value-based payment modifier program.
The objective of this cross-sectional observational study was to compare performance in the Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier (PVBM) Program by practice characteristics. The investigators found that during the first year of the Medicare Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier Program, physician practices that served more socially high-risk patients had lower quality and lower costs, and practices that served more medically high-risk patients had lower quality and higher costs.
AHRQ-funded; HS024698.
Citation: Chen LM, Epstein AM, Orav EJ .
Association of practice-level social and medical risk with performance in the Medicare physician value-based payment modifier program.
JAMA 2017 Aug 1;318(5):453-61. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.9643..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Medicaid, Medicare, Payment, Quality of Care
Krinsky S, Ryan AM, Mijanovich T
Variation in payment rates under Medicare's Inpatient Prospective Payment System.
The researchers measured variation in payment rates under Medicare's Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and identified the main payment adjustments that drive variation. In 2013, Medicare paid for acute inpatient discharges at a rate 31 percent above the IPPS base. For the top 10 percent of discharges, the mean rate was double the IPPS base. Variations were driven by adjustments for medical education and care to low-income populations.
AHRQ-funded; HS018546.
Citation: Krinsky S, Ryan AM, Mijanovich T .
Variation in payment rates under Medicare's Inpatient Prospective Payment System.
Health Serv Res 2017 Apr;52(2):676-96. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12490.
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Keywords: Payment, Medicare, Healthcare Costs, Hospitals
Rocque GB, Williams CP, Jackson BE
Choosing Wisely: opportunities for improving value in cancer care delivery?
The researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of Medicare claims data to examine concordance with Choosing Wisely recommendations across 12 cancer centers in the southeastern United States. Significant variability was noted across centers for all recommendations. The researchers concluded that if concordance were to increase to 95 percent for all measures, an estimated $19 million difference in total cost of care per quarter would be saved.
AHRQ-funded; HS023009.
Citation: Rocque GB, Williams CP, Jackson BE .
Choosing Wisely: opportunities for improving value in cancer care delivery?
J Oncol Pract 2017 Jan;13(1):e11-e21. doi: 10.1200/jop.2016.015396.
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Keywords: Cancer, Guidelines, Healthcare Delivery, Medicare
Das A, Norton EC, Miller DC
Adding a spending metric to Medicare's value-based purchasing program rewarded low-quality hospitals.
In fiscal year 2015 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expanded its Hospital Value-Based Purchasing program by rewarding or penalizing hospitals for their performance on both spending and quality. Using data from 2,679 US hospitals that participated in the program in fiscal years 2014 and 2015, researchers found that the new emphasis on spending rewarded not only low-spending hospitals but some low-quality hospitals as well.
AHRQ-funded; HS020671.
Citation: Das A, Norton EC, Miller DC .
Adding a spending metric to Medicare's value-based purchasing program rewarded low-quality hospitals.
Health Aff 2016 May;35(5):898-906. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1190.
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Keywords: Medicare, Provider Performance, Payment, Hospitals, Healthcare Costs, Quality of Care
Driessen J, Baik SH, Zhang Y
Explaining improved use of high-risk medications in Medicare between 2007 and 2011.
The researchers explored the reasons for the great decline in the use of high-risk medications between 2007 and 2011. They found that the FDA’s ban on propoxyphene beginning in 2010 led to the huge decrease in high-risk prescribing. For non-propoxyphene drugs included in the high-risk measure, the rate of prescribing showed minimal improvement, decreasing from 21.0 percent to 18.6 percent from 2007 to 2011.
AHRQ-funded; HS018657.
Citation: Driessen J, Baik SH, Zhang Y .
Explaining improved use of high-risk medications in Medicare between 2007 and 2011.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2016 Mar;64(3):674-6. doi: 10.1111/jgs.14000.
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Keywords: Medication, Medicare
Layton TJ, Ryan AM
Higher incentive payments in Medicare Advantage's pay-for-performance program did not improve quality but did increase plan offerings.
The researchers evaluated the effects of the size of financial bonuses on quality of care and the number of plan offerings in the Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payment Demonstration. They concluded that at great expense to Medicare, double bonuses in the Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payment Demonstration were not associated with improved quality but were associated with more plan offerings.
AHRQ-funded; HS018546.
Citation: Layton TJ, Ryan AM .
Higher incentive payments in Medicare Advantage's pay-for-performance program did not improve quality but did increase plan offerings.
Health Serv Res 2015 Dec;50(6):1810-28. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12409..
Keywords: Medicare, Payment, Provider Performance, Health Services Research (HSR), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
He D, Konetzka RT
Public reporting and demand rationing: evidence from the nursing home industry.
The authors examined a consequence of public reporting: the potential for demand rationing. They found that high-quality nursing homes facing capacity constraints reduced admissions of less profitable Medicaid residents while increasing the more profitable Medicare and private-pay admissions, relative to low-quality nursing homes facing no capacity constraints.
AHRQ-funded; HS021877.
Citation: He D, Konetzka RT .
Public reporting and demand rationing: evidence from the nursing home industry.
Health Econ 2015 Nov;24(11):1437-51. doi: 10.1002/hec.3097.
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Keywords: Public Reporting, Medicare, Nursing Homes
Zhang Y, Talisa V, Baik SH
Part D plan switching among Medicare beneficiaries with schizophrenia.
The authors examined Medicare plan switching and factors affecting switching among beneficiaries with schizophrenia. They found several factors that affected the likelihood of switching, including age, geographic region, and proportion of prescriptions filled by beneficiaries who were covered or whose prescriptions required utilization review in the original plan. They concluded that plan switching among Medicare beneficiaries with schizophrenia was relatively infrequent but may be driven by the need for better drug coverage and less restrictive utilization policies.
AHRQ-funded; HS018657.
Citation: Zhang Y, Talisa V, Baik SH .
Part D plan switching among Medicare beneficiaries with schizophrenia.
Psychiatr Serv 2015 Oct;66(10):1105-8. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201400476.
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Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Behavioral Health
Carey K
Measuring the hospital length of stay/readmission cost trade-off under a bundled payment mechanism.
This paper investigates the relationship between length of stay and readmission within 30 days of discharge from an acute care hospitalization. It found that the cost of an additional day of stay was offset by expected cost savings from an avoided readmission in the range of 15 to 65 percent.
AHRQ-funded; HS020995.
Citation: Carey K .
Measuring the hospital length of stay/readmission cost trade-off under a bundled payment mechanism.
Health Econ 2015 Jul;24(7):790-802. doi: 10.1002/hec.3061..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Hospitalization, Elderly, Hospital Discharge, Medicare
Zhang Y, Baik SH, Newhouse JP
Use of intelligent assignment to Medicare Part D plans for people with schizophrenia could produce substantial savings.
The investigators simulated Medicare Part D savings from replacing random assignment with an "intelligent assignment" algorithm that would assign beneficiaries to the least expensive plan in 2010 based on their drug usage in the previous year. They found that intelligent assignment could have saved about $150 million for Medicare and beneficiaries with schizophrenia combined in 2010.
AHRQ-funded; HS018657.
Citation: Zhang Y, Baik SH, Newhouse JP .
Use of intelligent assignment to Medicare Part D plans for people with schizophrenia could produce substantial savings.
Health Aff 2015 Mar;34(3):455-60. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2014.1227.
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Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Medication, Behavioral Health