Comparison of Low-Value Services Among Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Low-value care in the Medicare program is prevalent, costly, potentially harmful, and persistent. Although Medicare Advantage (MA) plans can use managed care strategies not available in traditional Medicare (TM), it is not clear whether this flexibility is associated with lower rates of low-value care.

Objectives

To compare rates of low-value services between MA and TM beneficiaries and explore how elements of insurance design present in MA are associated with the delivery of low-value care.

Design, setting, and participants

This cross-sectional study analyzed beneficiaries enrolled in MA and TM using claims data from a large, national MA insurer and a random 5% sample of TM beneficiaries. The study period was January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2019. All

SUBMITTER: Boudreau E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9463603 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature