The Complex Relationship Between Quality and Resource Use Among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries with Diabetes.
This study examines the relationship between Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set-based diabetes quality measures and resource use for evaluation and management (E&M), inpatient facility, and surgical procedure services for a national sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in 1685 Hospital Service Areas. Using multivariate regression analyses, the study findings suggest that higher rates of beneficiaries' receipt of HbA1c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and retinal eye exam tests ("composite quality") during the year is inversely related to average inpatient resource use. However, no association is found between composite quality and E&M services, suggesting that quality improvement with respect to increased rates of testing could be achieved without significant increases in resource use.
1 Division of Health Services Management and Policy, College of Public Health, Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio.
Wendy Yi
WY
Xu
2 Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Jean
J
Abraham
2 Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Schelomo
S
Marmor
2 Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota.
David
D
Knutson
2 Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Beth A
BA
Virnig
D000368:Aged; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014481:United States