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The effect of measurement error on differences in hospital expenditures.

Differences in expenditures for medical care among various subgroups in the population according to age, income, residence, and ethnicity have important public policy implications. However, few efforts have been made to assess the extent to which these apparent differences among subgroups observed in social surveys may be influenced by measurement error. This paper provides a framework for examining the impact of various kinds of error including random error and biases. The framework is applied to data on hospital expenditures from a national survey of health services expenditure which includes in addition to consumer reports, verifying information from hospitals, physicians, and third-party payers who provided services to persons in the sample. Differential error according to demographic and social characteristics is estimated. The impact of such differential error on conclusions about the distribution of health resources is discussed.

Age Factors↗

Patterns of expenditures among high utilizers of medical care services. The experience of Medicare beneficiaries from 1974 to 1977.

The authors of this study examine temporal patterns of medical expenditures by Medicare beneficiaries. A random sample of 204,917 individuals who were alive and in the program from 1974 to 1977 was investigated. Individuals hospitalized in 1974 were found to have twice the rate of hospitalization in 1975, 1976, or 1977 compared with individuals who were not hospitalized in 1974. The increased rate of hospitalization remained constant throughout the 3 years. Individuals with large medical expenditures in 1974 were 20 times more likely to have large medical expenditures the following year, and this rate declined slowly in the following 2 years. The results suggest that the value of a Medicare voucher or the level of Medicare's payment to health maintenance organizations should include an adjustment factor for prior health care utilization. The results also suggest that multiyear limits on total Medicare coinsurance and deductible payments would be more equitable than single-year limits.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Determinants of state variations in home health utilization and expenditures under Medicare.

Of the key federal programs that finance in-home services to the elderly, the Medicare program represents the largest and fastest growing. Although Medicare is a federal program, utilization and expenditures for home care vary widely across the states. Building on the work of Feldstein, Scanlon, and others, theory and data are presented that attempt to illuminate reasons why such variations exist. Using program data by state for 1982, nearly three fourths of the variation in home health utilization (R2 = 0.72) is explained by seven state characteristics. About three fifths of the variation in expenditures (R2 = 0.61) is accounted for by six state factors. Of most explanatory importance are home health agency (HHA) supply, need levels, presence of alternative sources of care, sources of referrals, and state resources. The results suggest the need to give more analytic attention to the impact of the market share of proprietary HHAs in explaining expenditure variations and the effects of total supply on utilization and spending.

Aged↗

Insurance coverage for prescription drugs: effects on use and expenditures in the Medicare population.

BACKGROUND: Although most of the elderly are covered by Medicare, they potentially face large out-of-pocket costs for their health care because of excluded services. Aside from nursing home care, the exclusion of prescription drugs is one of the most significant. Several earlier policy initiatives have proposed adding prescription drug coverage to the Medicare program. To determine the effects of such an expansion, one must account for the potential increase in the demand for prescription drugs from providing insurance coverage. METHODS: The study uses a new data source, the RAND Elderly Health Supplement to the 1990 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The endogenity of insurance coverage is tested using instruments that exploit the longitudinal nature of the data. Equations are estimated on 910 persons (> or = 66 years) using a two-part model. RESULTS: Insurance coverage for prescription drugs significantly increases the probability of use, but not of total expenditures, among those who use prescription drugs. However, insurance coverage significantly lowers out-of-pocket expenditures, thereby decreasing the financial burden on elderly households associated with prescription drug use. Medicaid coverage has effects that are smaller than those for private insurance, but the magnitude is less precisely estimated. These findings imply that if prescription drug coverage were added to Medicare, expected expenditures on drugs would rise by on average $83 for each elderly Medicare beneficiary (in 1990 dollars), although this increase is significant only at the 90% level. If the benefit had been included under Medicare, expected spending on prescription drugs by the elderly would have risen by approximately 20%, or $2.6 billion in 1990.

Aged↗

Medical care expenditures for genital herpes in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 45 million Americans have serologic evidence of HSV-2 infection and HSV-2 seroprevalence in the United States has increased 30% over the past two decades. Despite rapid increases in HSV-2 prevalence, the last estimate of the U.S. national direct medical cost for genital herpes (GH) was completed in 1985. The objective of this study is to assess the U.S. direct medical expenditures for GH and its complications to assist policy makers in allocating limited STD resources efficiently. METHODS: We estimated the number of GH-related clinical visits and pharmacy claims from several national and state sources, estimated the average direct medical cost per visit from two administrative claims databases, and calculated the U.S. national direct medical costs for GH by applying the average direct medical cost per visit to the number of clinical visits and pharmacy claims. RESULTS: The U.S. national number of GH-related clinical visits was estimated to be 499,655 and there were approximately 2,056,1180 pharmacy claims annually. Of those clinical visits, private office-based physician and public STD clinic visits alone accounted for 89%. The U.S. national direct medical costs were estimated at $166 million annually for 1992-1994, which represents $207 million in 1999 dollars. Of the total cost, medical care accounted for 36% and drug treatment for 64%. CONCLUSIONS: The medical costs of pharmacy claims and office-based physician visits account for the majority of the medical expenditures for GH. Our estimates, based on the best available data on medical expenditure, indicate that GH is a major public health problem with a substantial economic burden.

Adolescent↗

Differences between descriptive and multivariate estimates of the impact of Chevron Corporation's Health Quest Program on medical expenditures.

This investigation focused on alternative methods for evaluating the impact of Chevron Corporation's Health Quest Fitness Center program on medical expenditures, comparing descriptive and multivariate research designs. Many uncontrolled studies of corporate health management programs base estimates of program effectiveness on descriptive analyses such as Student's tests. Unlike more sophisticated multivariate analyses, descriptive analyses often produce biased estimates of program cost savings. To test alternative research design methods, the investigators compared inpatient and pharmacy expenditures for program participants and non-participants over a 2.5-year period, using descriptive and multivariate regression analyses. Results showed that compared with non-participants, expenditures for participants were significantly lower for subjects who used a Health Quest fitness center at least twice weekly. Previous descriptive studies suggested a much broader impact. The results underscore the need to use multivariate analyses when evaluating the financial impact of corporate health management programs, especially when randomization cannot be used to assign participation status.

Adolescent↗

Long-term impact of Johnson & Johnson's Health & Wellness Program on health care utilization and expenditures.

The long-term impact of corporate health and wellness programs is largely unknown, because most evaluations focus on impact in just 1 or 2 years after program initiation. This project estimated the longer-term impact of the Johnson & Johnson Health & Wellness Program on medical care utilization and expenditures. Employees were followed for up to 5 years before and 4 years after Program implementation. Fixed-effects regression models were used to control for measurable and unmeasurable factors that may influence utilization and expenditures. Results indicated a large reduction in medical care expenditures (approximately $224.66 per employee per year) over the 4-year Program period. These benefits came from reduced inpatient use, fewer mental health visits, and fewer outpatient visits compared with the baseline period. Most benefits occurred in years 3 and 4 after Program initiation. We conclude that programs designed to better integrate occupational health, disability, wellness, and medical benefits may have substantial health and economic benefits in later years.

Health Expenditures↗

Marital status and health care expenditures among the elderly in a managed care organization.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of marital status in and health care expenditures among the elderly in a managed care organization. The study population consisted of 277 functionally impaired elderly people who were 75 years and older enrolled in a managed care organization. In separate analyses, the relationship between marital status and total expenditure per enrollee, the number of outpatient visits, hospital admissions, and emergency department (ED) visits during the two-year study period was examined. The results indicate that married individuals had significantly higher health care expenditures than the unmarried. However, there were no significant differences in number of hospital admissions, number of outpatient visits, and number of ED visits. It would behoove health care administrators and policy makers to take into consideration marital status when planning, designing, and implementing health care policies for the elderly.

Aged↗

Physician responses to global physician expenditure budgets in Canada: a common property perspective.

Global expenditure budgets in the fee-for-service physician sector create management problems for both funders and physicians. Global expenditure cap policies must be designed, and appropriate institutional structures created, to mitigate perverse utilization incentives, manage collective utilization, and diffuse the internal professional and the funder-profession tensions created by a capped budget. Two Canadian provinces that adopted different approaches to the design of their physician expenditure cap policies experienced different outcomes in utilization growth. The outcomes, however, are the opposite to what one would predict based on an analysis of the incentive structures embodied in the two provinces' policies. An analytic framework developed for the study of common-property resources is applied to the differing physician responses to global budgets across the two provinces. The insights offered by this framework can guide policy design for global physician budgets, and they indicate the critical importance of physician acceptance of such a policy.

Alberta↗

What drug policies cost: estimating drug policy expenditures in Sweden, 2002: work in progress.

AIM: To estimate drug policy expenditures in Sweden for 2002. DATA AND METHOD: The various governmental agencies with drug policy responsibilities were identified and then requested to provide information on their actual spending on these activities. For most agencies additional information was obtained from special studies or expert opinion. FINDINGS: Drug policy expenditures are not easily identified in Swedish official statistics. The results have a very wide range between 500 and 1,400 million Euros during 2002, with 950 million Euros as a baseline estimate. Two items each account for almost 60% of the total-police (including customs and courts) and corrections-whereas treatment expenditures and income support represent about one-fifth, respectively. Comparison with the most recent previous estimate (1991) shows a substantial higher level in 2002. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that a great deal of money is invested in drug policy measures in Sweden today and that it has most probably increased since the early 1990s. This development probably reflects the increase in number of problematic drug users in Sweden as well as increasing attention paid to the drug problem, foremost in the criminal justice system. More work is needed in developing a drug budget that is more easily available and in producing more reliable estimates both across sectors and across time. The need to develop the conceptualization of drug policy measures is also discussed.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

Hospital-physician affiliations and patient treatments, expenditures, and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between hospital-physician affiliations and the treatments, expenditures, and outcomes of patients. DATA SOURCES: Sources include the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review dataset, the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey, and the Area Resource File (ARF). STUDY DESIGN: A multivariate regression analysis of the relationship between hospital-physician affiliations (such as physician-hospital organizations [PHOs] or salaried employment) and the treatment of Medicare patients with a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction admitted to general medical-surgical hospitals between 1994 and 1998. Dependent variables include whether the patient received a catheterization or angioplasty or bypass surgery; whether a patient was readmitted, or died within 90 days of initial admission; and expenditures. Independent variables include patient, admission hospital, and market characteristics, as well as hospital and year fixed effects. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The integrated salary model form of hospital-physician affiliation is associated with slightly higher procedure rates, and higher patient expenditures. At the same time, there is little evidence that hospital-physician affiliations in the aggregate have had any measurable impact on patient treatment or outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The limited effect of hospital-physician affiliations on patient outcomes is consistent with previous research showing that affiliations have not much changed the nature of health care delivery. However, the finding that the integrated salary model is associated with higher treatment intensity suggests that affiliations may have had some impact on patients, and could have more in the future.

Aged↗

The effects of the Women, Infants, and Children's Supplemental Food Program on dentally related Medicaid expenditures.

OBJECTIVE: This study estimates the effects of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on dentally related Medicaid expenditures for young children. METHODS: We used a five-year cohort study design to compare dentally related Medicaid expenditures for children enrolled in WIC versus those not enrolled for each year of life up to age 5 years. There were 49,795 children born in North Carolina in 1992 who met the inclusion criteria for the study. Their birth records were linked to Medicaid enrollment and claims files, WIC master files, and the Area Resource File. Our analysis strategy included a logit and OLS two-part model with CPI dollar adjustments. RESULTS: Children who participated in WIC at ages 1 and 2 years had significantly less dentally related expenditures than those who did not participate. WIC participation at age 3 years did not have a significant effect. Fewer WIC children received dental care under general anesthesia than non-WIC children. CONCLUSIONS: The WIC program has the potential for decreasing dentally related costs to the Medicaid program, while increasing use of dental services.

Adult↗

Effect of primary care treatment of depression on service use by patients with high medical expenditures.

OBJECTIVE: The study examined the impact of identifying and treating depression among patients who had a history of high medical expenditures. Effects on service use, disability, and quality of life were measured. METHODS: A total of 786 high users of services from two primary care clinics and an equal number of randomly selected patients who were not high users were screened for depression using the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) depression screen. High-user patients who screened positive were subsequently seen by their primary care physician for a diagnostic interview. The 20 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of depression were offered open-label antidepressant treatment by their primary care physician for six months. RESULTS: All 20 patients completed the six-month study. Treatment resulted in significant reductions in depression and significant improvements in quality of life in the areas of social functioning, general health, mental health, physical functioning, emotional role functioning, and vitality. Days of missed work per month were reduced, and the percentage of patients who reported not being at all impaired by their depression at work increased. Costs for service use fell from $13.28 to $6.75 per day; when costs for the treatment study were added, the daily service use cost was $12.55. CONCLUSIONS: Identification and treatment of depression among patients with a history of high medical expenditures improved depression and increased work productivity and quality of life. Service use decreased with treatment. A larger sample and control group are needed to determine if treatment is associated with a statistically significant decrease in medical expenditures.

Adult↗

Reducing hospital use and expenditures through utilization review. Findings from an outcome evaluation.

Utilization review (UR) has become a prominent approach to cost containment now used by almost 65% of private group insurance plans. Although insurers have increasingly relied on UR to contain health care costs, until recently little was known about the effects of this cost containment approach. This article reviews some of the key findings of a UR evaluation, based on analysis of claims data on 223 insured groups for the years 1984 through 1986. The evaluation found that UR reduced admissions by 12%, inpatient expenditures by 8%, and total expenditures by 6%. It was estimated that UR generated net savings of $115 per employee per year. Groups adopting UR with high baseline rates of hospital use had larger expenditure reductions and greater net savings. It appears that UR can play an important role in private cost containment and help improve medical care resource consumption.

Cost Control↗

The regional differences in prevalence, medical expenditures and risk factors for injury in Taiwanese teenagers.

BACKGROUND: Injury is the leading cause of death in teenagers worldwide. In Taiwan, people in mountainous areas have a 4 to 8 years shorter life span than the general population. Injury among teenagers is likely a major cause. The objective of this study was to investigate the regional differences in the prevalence, the risk factors, and the medical expenditures for injury among Taiwanese teenagers. METHOD: An equal probability national sample was used. In addition, representative samples from mountainous areas and offshore islands were used. Only those who aged between 12 and 21 years, and signed the consent form permitting us to link their National Health Insurance (NHI) claim data were included in the analysis. Injury-related visits and expenditures in outpatient services were extracted from the NHI data. Logistic regression was used to examine the factors associated with injury. For those who had injury related outpatient visits, mixed model was used to examine the factors associated with medical expenditures accounting for multiple visits by the same individual. RESULTS: The prevalence of nonfatal injury was around 30% of teenagers in Taiwan. It was 10% higher in mountainous areas. Factors associated with injury were those who lived in mountainous areas (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.7; 95%; confidence interval [CI]: 1.3-2.3), males (OR: 1.3; 95%; CI: 1.1-1.6), older teens (18-21 years old), and those with risk behavior were positively associated with injury. These factors were also associated with the number of injury-related outpatient visits. However, teenagers in mountainous areas did not spend more on medical care than those who lived in metropolitan Taiwan. CONCLUSION: Around 30% of the teenagers were injured in a year, not including the dead. Each of the injured spent at least 851.4NTD (approximately 27USD) for outpatient visits. The scope of the problem was not trivial. Hazardous environments and high-risk behaviors were the universal causes. In remote areas, lack of medical resources was another possibility. Empowering local people to design prevention programs according to their needs is recommended.

Adolescent↗

Beds, budgets and burdens: learning disability expenditure v. workload across English health authorities. Comparative review.

BACKGROUND: Following the closure of asylums and widespread changes in the population distribution of people with learning disabilities, there has been little investigation of changing expenditure requirements of health authorities in England. AIMS: To compare expenditure on learning disability health services across England with the burden of services regionally, as estimated by numbers of people with learning disabilities. METHOD: A national database was set up using data from the National Audit Commission and the Department of Health. The spend/burden ratio was calculated and correlation tests for likely causes of inequality were applied. RESULTS: There is widespread discrepancy from the median spend/burden ratio of 10,260 UK pounds per person with learning disability. There is a positive correlation between ratios and levels of net exports of people funded by their local authority social services to reside "out of area". Comparative underspending occurs in rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: There are inequalities in levels of spending on learning disability services. Comparison of regions suggests resources may not be allocated fairly. Health authorities should ensure that population increases are mirrored by appropriate adjustments in expenditure.

Budgets↗

The impact of comorbid disease and injuries on resource use and expenditures in parkinsonism.

BACKGROUND: Persons with parkinsonism have high rates of both associated and unrelated prevalent comorbid conditions. A better understanding of patterns of care and expenditures may aid in designing programs to enhance functioning, lengthen independent living, and manage costs. METHODS: The authors linked national survey data of 24,831 elderly to nearly 1.9 million Medicare claims. Persons with parkinsonism (n = 791) were identified from survey or Medicare encounters for paralysis agitans. Comorbid disease risk was measured using age-adjusted OR with 95% CI. Comorbidity cost ratios (ratio of average per person per year charges for parkinsonism alone vs with comorbid conditions) were developed to describe incremental costs of comorbidities. RESULTS: Patients with parkinsonism were older (78.5 +/- 7.6 vs 75.1 +/- 8.3 years, p < 0.0001) and had more injuries resulting in broken bones (35.6% vs 19.5%, p < 0.0001), including broken hips (15.9% vs 5.8%, p < 0.0001), during the 5-year study. Broken hips were more prevalent among men (OR 3.4, 95% CI 2.5 to 4.8) and women (OR 2.5, 95% CI 2.1 to 3.1) with than without parkinsonism. Among those with parkinsonism, comorbidity cost ratios demonstrated two- to threefold higher charges for dementia, broken bones, broken hip, and diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidity associated with parkinsonism is an under-recognized contribution to higher resource use and expenditures. Further study of injuries, dementia, and diabetes is required to assess whether public health interventions could reduce excess morbidity and expenditures associated with parkinsonism.

Aged↗

Has PPS increased Medicare expenditures on physicians?

We use data from 1983 and 1985 on the volume of Medicare physician services to analyze whether Medicare's Prospective Payment System (PPS), which resulted in a significant decline in hospital spending, led to a partially offsetting increase in real expenditures for physician services. We also analyze the effect of increases in assignment rates, increasing incomes of the elderly, and other factors on real expenditures during this period. Our main conclusion is that PPS has at most a small positive effect on real physician expenditures. Because people spent less time in the hospital, Medicare physician spending declined; but because of incentives to shift radiology and other services out of the hospital, some of this decline was offset. We also conclude that the sharp increase in Medicare assignment rates over this period, along with the rising incomes of the elderly during this period, contributed to the observed growth.

Aged↗