Patient sharing among physicians and costs of care: a network analytic approach to care coordination using claims data.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Improving care coordination is a national priority and a key focus of health care reforms. However, its measurement and ultimate achievement is challenging.

Objective

To test whether patients whose providers frequently share patients with one another-what we term 'care density'-tend to have lower costs of care and likelihood of hospitalization.

Design

Cohort study

Participants

9,596 patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and 52,688 with diabetes who received care during 2009. Patients were enrolled in five large, private insurance plans across the US covering employer-sponsored and Medicare Advantage enrollees

Main measures

Costs of care, rates of hospitalizations

Key results

The average total annual health care cost for patients

SUBMITTER: Pollack CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3579968 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature