Medicare Advantage patients have fewer preventable hospitalizations, compared to traditional Medicare patients, based on a new Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care study, according to FierceHealthPayer.
The study examined Medicare enrollees in 12 states using Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data.
Here are five insights:
1. The study found Medicare Advantage patients were 10 percent less likely to experience avoidable hospitalizations than traditional Medicare patients.
2. Medicare Advantage patients were 6 percent more likely to have referral-sensitive hospitalizations.
3. The researchers concluded future studies should examine whether their results are a product of payment incentives promoting efficiency, coordination and primary care.
4. The study also discovered a "spillover effect" in areas with more Medicare Advantage patients. That is, these areas experienced lower avoidable hospitalization rates and higher referral-sensitive hospitalization rates among all Medicare patients.
5. The researchers also discovered result discrepancies among the 12 states, and call for further studies.
