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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.
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1 to 5 of 5 Research Studies DisplayedEncinosa W, Nguyen P
AHRQ Author: Encinosa W
Is the recent surge in physician-hospital consolidation finally producing cost-savings?
This article revisits earlier integration studies using IBM MarketScan data 2010–2016 to re-examine the relationship between primary care physicians integrated with hospitals and spending under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during that period. The authors observe an association between physician-hospital integration and overall cost-savings, a reversal of the relationship noted in earlier studies. They recommend that future research examine the precise mechanism of physician-hospital clinical integration in greater detail.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Encinosa W, Nguyen P .
Is the recent surge in physician-hospital consolidation finally producing cost-savings?
J Gen Intern Med 2022 Dec;37(16):4289-91. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07634-x..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Provider: Physician, Hospitals, Primary Care
Rodriguez HP, Ciemins EL, Rubio K
Physician practices with robust capabilities spend less on Medicare beneficiaries than more limited practices.
Researchers used data from the 2017 National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems to examine the association of practice-level capabilities with process measures of quality, utilization, and spending. They found that quality and utilization did not differ by practice-level capabilities. Physician practice locations with robust capabilities spent less on Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries but delivered quality of care comparable to the quality delivered in locations with low or mixed capabilities.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Rodriguez HP, Ciemins EL, Rubio K .
Physician practices with robust capabilities spend less on Medicare beneficiaries than more limited practices.
Health Aff 2022 Mar;41(3):414-23. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00302..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Provider: Physician
Markovitz AA, Ryan AM, Peterson TA
ACO awareness and perceptions among specialists versus primary care physicians: a survey of a large Medicare Shared Savings program.
This research letter describes a survey that was conducted to compare accountable care organization (ACO) awareness and perceptions among specialists versus primary care physicians (PCPs). The survey was administered in 2018 to clinicians in the Physician Organization of Michigan ACO, which was the largest Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in Michigan and among the ten largest nationally at the time. The analysis focused on 1022 non-pediatrician physician respondents practicing within 10 provider organizations. Physician respondents included PCPs (23%) and specialists (77%). The most common specialty was internal medicine (20%), followed by surgeons (14%). Specialists were less likely to be aware of ACO participation and incentives. They were also 25% less likely to know they were in an ACO compared to PCPs. In addition, specialists were 18% less likely to know their ACO was accountable for both spending and quality or that their ACO had lowered spending in the previous year. This difference in perception may help to explain ACOs’ modest impact on spending and quality.
AHRQ-funded; HS025615.
Citation: Markovitz AA, Ryan AM, Peterson TA .
ACO awareness and perceptions among specialists versus primary care physicians: a survey of a large Medicare Shared Savings program.
J Gen Intern Med 2022 Feb;37(2):492-94. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06556-w..
Keywords: Primary Care, Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Provider: Physician
Childers CP, Hofer IS, Cheng DS
Evaluating surgeons on intraoperative disposable supply costs: details matter.
Cost report cards have demonstrated variation in intraoperative supply costs and may allow comparisons between surgeons. However, cost data are complex and, if not properly vetted, may be inaccurate. In this study, a retrospective assessment of intraoperative supply costs for consecutive laparoscopic cholecystectomies (2013-2017) at a 4-facility academic center was performed. The investigators concluded that evaluating surgeons based on intraoperative supply costs was sensitive to analytic methods.
AHRQ-funded; HS025079.
Citation: Childers CP, Hofer IS, Cheng DS .
Evaluating surgeons on intraoperative disposable supply costs: details matter.
J Gastrointest Surg 2019 Oct;23(10):2054-62. doi: 10.1007/s11605-018-3889-4..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Provider, Provider: Physician, Surgery
Sheetz KH, Ibrahim AM, Regenbogen SE
Surgeon experience and Medicare expenditures for laparoscopic compared to open colectomy.
This population-based study examined whether surgeon experience with laparoscopy influenced payments for laparoscopy versus open surgery colectomies. The study used 182,852 national Medicare beneficiaries undergoing colectomies between 2010 and 2012. Surgeons with the most laparoscopic experience did experience an average payment savings of $5456 per patient in laparoscopic versus open cases. For surgeons in the lowest quartile of experience there was no difference.
AHRQ-funded; HS023597.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Ibrahim AM, Regenbogen SE .
Surgeon experience and Medicare expenditures for laparoscopic compared to open colectomy.
Ann Surg 2018 Dec;268(6):1036-42. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002312..
Keywords: Elderly, Surgery, Medicare, Healthcare Costs, Provider: Physician