Reforming medicare's dialysis payment policies: implications for patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To demonstrate how expanding services covered by a "bundled payment" can also expand variation in the costs of treating patients under the bundle, using the Medicare dialysis program as an example.

Data sources/study setting

Observational claims-based study of 197,332 Medicare hemodialysis beneficiaries enrolled for at least one quarter during 2006-2008.

Study design

We estimated how resource utilization (all health services, dialysis-related services, and medications) changes with intensity of secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) treatment.

Data extraction methods

Using Medicare claims, a patient-quarter level dataset was constructed, including a measure of sHPT treatment intensity.

Principal findings

Under the existing, narrow dialysis bundle

SUBMITTER: Gupta C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4254132 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature