Delivery system integration and health care spending and quality for Medicare beneficiaries.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

The Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) programs rely on delivery system integration and health care provider risk sharing to lower spending while improving quality of care.

Objective

To compare spending and quality between larger and smaller provider groups and examine how size-related differences vary by 2 factors considered central to ACO performance: group primary care orientation and financial risk sharing by health care providers.

Evidence review

Using 2009 Medicare claims and linked American Medical Association Group Practice data, we assigned 4.29 million beneficiaries to health care provider groups based on primary care use. We categorized group size according to eligibility thresholds for the Shared Savings (≥5000 assigned beneficiaries)

SUBMITTER: McWilliams JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3800215 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature