Dataset Information

Implementation of US Post-Acute Care Payment Reform and COVID-19 Policies: Examining Experiences of Health System Leaders, Staff, Patients, and Family Caregivers-A Protocol.

ABSTRACT: In fiscal year 2020, new national Medicare payment models were implemented in the two most common post-acute care settings (i.e., skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and home health agencies (HHAs)), which were followed by the emergence of COVID-19. Given concerns about the unintended consequence of these events, this study protocol will examine how organizations responded to these policies and whether there were changes in SNF and HHA access, care delivery, and outcomes from the perspectives of leadership, staff, patients, and families. We will conduct a two-phase multiple case study guided by the Institute of Medicine's Model of Healthcare Systems. Phase I will include three cases for each setting and a maximum of fifty administrators per case. Phase II will include a subset of Phase I organizations, which are grouped into three setting-specific cases. Each Phase II case will include a maximum of four organizations. Semi-structured interviews will explore the perspectives of frontline staff, patients, and family caregivers (Phase II). Thematic analysis will be used to examine the impact of payment policy and COVID-19 on organizational operations, care delivery, and patient outcomes. The results of this study intend to develop evidence addressing concerns about the unintended consequences of the PAC payment policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SUBMITTER: Leland NE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10606322 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Implementation of US Post-Acute Care Payment Reform and COVID-19 Policies: Examining Experiences of Health System Leaders, Staff, Patients, and Family Caregivers-A Protocol.

Leland Natalie E NE Rouch Stephanie A SA Prusynski Rachel A RA Shore Amanda D AD Kaufman Hannah H Hoover Lorelei P LP Mroz Tracy M TM Freburger Janet K JK Saliba Debra D

International journal of environmental research and public health 20231023 20

In fiscal year 2020, new national Medicare payment models were implemented in the two most common post-acute care settings (i.e., skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and home health agencies (HHAs)), which were followed by the emergence of COVID-19. Given concerns about the unintended consequence of these events, this study protocol will examine how organizations responded to these policies and whether there were changes in SNF and HHA access, care delivery, and outcomes from the perspectives of l ...[more]

PMID: 37887697

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Project description:ImportanceMedicare finances health care for most US patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), regardless of age. The 2011 Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for dialysis reduced reimbursement for hemodialysis, and the 2014 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace increased patient access to new private insurance options, potentially influencing organizations that provide health care, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and dialysis facilities, to adjust their payer mix away from Medicare sources.ObjectiveTo describe Medicare enrollment trends among patients with incident ESKD in 2006 to 2016.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective cohort study involved US patients aged 18 to 64 years who were not enrolled in Medicare at dialysis initiation in 2006 to 2016, with 1-year follow-up through 2017. Data analysis was conducted April 2021 to June 2022.ExposuresThe exposure of interest was a 3-category indicator of time, whether patients initiated dialysis before policies were enacted (2006-2010), in the first years of the Medicare ESKD PPS (2011-2013), or during the Medicare ESKD PPS and implementation of the ACA Marketplace (2014-2016).Main outcomes and measuresPatient-level Medicare enrollment through the first year of dialysis. Logistic regression and Cox models were used to examine associations of time, patient characteristics, and Medicare enrollment, adjusting for patient demographic, clinical, and market-level characteristics.ResultsOf 335 157 patients aged 18 to 64 years with ESKD not actively enrolled in Medicare when they initiated dialysis in 2006 to 2016, the mean (SD) age was 49.9 (10.8) years, 198 164 (59.1%) were men, 188 290 (56.2%) were White, and 313 622 (93.6%) received in-center hemodialysis. New Medicare enrollment was higher in 2006 to 2010 (110 582 patients [73.1%]) than after the Medicare ESKD PPS and ACA Marketplace in 2014 to 2016 (55 382 patients [58.5%]). In adjusted analyses, declining Medicare enrollment was associated with implementation of 2011 Medicare ESKD PPS and 2014 ACA policies and was disproportionately lower among younger, racially minoritized, and ethnically Hispanic patients.Conclusions and relevanceThere was declining Medicare enrollment among new dialysis patients associated with the 2011 Medicare ESKD PPS and 2014 ACA Marketplace that raise concerns about benefits and harms to patients and payers and continued disparities in kidney care. As the dialysis payer mix moves toward higher proportions of patients not covered by Medicare, it will be important to understand the implications for health care system and patient outcomes.

Project description:BackgroundIn 2004, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services changed reimbursement for physicians and advanced practitioners caring for patients receiving hemodialysis from a capitated to a tiered fee-for-service system, encouraging increased face-to-face visits. This early version of a pay-for-performance initiative targeted a care process: more frequent provider visits in hemodialysis. Although more frequent provider visits in hemodialysis are associated with fewer hospitalizations and rehospitalizations, it is unknown whether encouraging more frequent visits through reimbursement policy also yielded these benefits.Study designWe used a retrospective cohort interrupted time-series study design to examine whether the 2004 nephrologist reimbursement reform led to reduced hospitalizations and rehospitalizations. We also used published data to estimate a range of annual economic costs associated with more frequent visits.Setting & participantsMedicare beneficiaries in the United States receiving hemodialysis in the 2 years prior to and following reimbursement reform.PredictorThe 2 years following nephrologist reimbursement reform.OutcomesOdds of hospitalization and 30-day hospital readmission for all causes and fluid overload; US dollars.ResultsWe found no significant change in all-cause hospitalization or rehospitalization and slight reductions in fluid overload hospitalization and rehospitalization following reimbursement reform; the estimated economic cost associated with additional visits ranged from $13 to $87 million per year, depending on who (physicians or advanced practitioners) spent additional time visiting patients and how much additional effort was involved.LimitationsDue to limited information about how much additional time providers spent seeing patients after reimbursement reform, we could only examine a range of potential economic costs associated with the reform.ConclusionsA Medicare reimbursement policy designed to encourage more frequent visits during outpatient hemodialysis may have been costly. The policy was associated with fewer hospitalizations and rehospitalizations for fluid overload, but had no effect on all-cause hospitalizations or rehospitalizations.

Project description:BackgroundSubstantial strategies to reduce clinical documentation were implemented by health care systems throughout the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at national and local levels. This natural experiment provides an opportunity to study the impact of documentation reduction strategies on documentation burden among clinicians and other health professionals in the United States.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess clinicians' and other health care leaders' experiences with and perceptions of COVID-19 documentation reduction strategies and identify which implemented strategies should be prioritized and remain permanent post-pandemic.MethodsWe conducted a national survey of clinicians and health care leaders to understand COVID-19 documentation reduction strategies implemented during the pandemic using snowball sampling through professional networks, listservs, and social media. We developed and validated a 19-item survey leveraging existing post-COVID-19 policy and practice recommendations proposed by Sinsky and Linzer. Participants rated reduction strategies for impact on documentation burden on a scale of 0 to 100. Free-text responses were thematically analyzed.ResultsOf the 351 surveys initiated, 193 (55%) were complete. Most participants were informaticians and/or clinicians and worked for a health system or in academia. A majority experienced telehealth expansion (81.9%) during the pandemic, which participants also rated as highly impactful (60.1-61.5) and preferred that it remain (90.5%). Implemented at lower proportions, documenting only pertinent positives to reduce note bloat (66.1 ± 28.3), changing compliance rules and performance metrics to eliminate those without evidence of net benefit (65.7 ± 26.3), and electronic health record (EHR) optimization sprints (64.3 ± 26.9) received the highest impact scores compared with other strategies presented; support for these strategies widely ranged (49.7-63.7%).ConclusionThe results of this survey suggest there are many perceived sources of and solutions for documentation burden. Within strategies, we found considerable support for telehealth, documenting pertinent positives, and changing compliance rules. We also found substantial variation in the experience of documentation burden among participants.

Dataset Information

Implementation of US Post-Acute Care Payment Reform and COVID-19 Policies: Examining Experiences of Health System Leaders, Staff, Patients, and Family Caregivers-A Protocol.

Publications

Implementation of US Post-Acute Care Payment Reform and COVID-19 Policies: Examining Experiences of Health System Leaders, Staff, Patients, and Family Caregivers-A Protocol.

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