Medicare physician payment reform: its effect on access to care.
This study analyzed a specific indicator condition, congestive heart failure (CHF), to see if there is evidence that physician payment reform (PPR) has had an effect on access to care for Medicare beneficiaries. If there was a decrease in access to ambulatory care services associated with PPR, one would expect to see an increase in hospitalizations for CHF in the period after PPR was implemented This analysis examined the trend in rates of hospitalization for CHF for the overall Medicare population and for selected vulnerable subgroups. No significant discontinuity was found in hospitalizations for CHF with the implementation of PPR.
Reilly
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Office of Research and Demonstrations, Health CAre Financing Administration, Baltimore, MD 21244, USA.
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016345:Medicare Part B / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D012424:Rural Population; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology