title: Patient assessments of care and utilization in Medicaid managed care: PCCMs vs. PSOs.
abstract: States are experimenting with different forms of delivery and financing to make Medicaid expenditures more predictable. Florida Medicaid is experimenting with a relatively new form of managed care, the provider-sponsored organization (PSO). Using the Donabedian structure-process-outcome (SPO) model, patient experiences and utilization in Florida PSOs and primary care case management (PCCM) were compared. The study analyzed Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) data for 1,257 Medicaid beneficiaries in Florida in 2005. Results showed that beneficiaries in the PSOs had similar ratings and reports of care to those in the PCCM. However, PSOs had lower physician visits compared to the PCCM, indicating potential access barriers to primary care. The PSO's impact on emergency department (ED) utilization and specialist utilization was similar to that of the PCCM. The PSOs may lower costs, but the savings may be due to lower physician utilization rather than better case management. This is important since states that are experimenting with PSOs in their Medicaid programs are looking to these organizations to improve beneficiary care while lowering costs.
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: K Cameron
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Schiller
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weech-Maldonado
authors.forename: Allyson G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008484:Medicaid / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020400:Provider-Sponsored Organizations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult