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Harris A, Philbin S, Post B, Jordan N, Beestrum M, Epstein R, McHugh M. Cost, Quality, and Utilization After Hospital-Physician and Hospital-Post Acute Care Vertical Integration: A Systematic Review. Med Care Res Rev 2024:10775587241247682. [PMID: 38708895 DOI: 10.1177/10775587241247682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Vertical integration of health systems-the common ownership of different aspects of the health care system-continues to occur at increasing rates in the United States. This systematic review synthesizes recent evidence examining the association between two types of vertical integration-hospital-physician (n = 43 studies) and hospital-post-acute care (PAC; n = 10 studies)-and cost, quality, and health services utilization. Hospital-physician integration is associated with higher health care costs, but the effect on quality and health services utilization remains unclear. The effect of hospital-PAC integration on these three outcomes is ambiguous, particularly when focusing on hospital-SNF integration. These findings should raise some concern among policymakers about the trajectory of affordable, high-quality health care in the presence of increasing hospital-physician vertical integration but perhaps not hospital-PAC integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Harris
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sarah Philbin
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Brady Post
- Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Neil Jordan
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Molly Beestrum
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Richard Epstein
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Megan McHugh
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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Popescu I, Gibson B, Matthews L, Zhang S, Escarce JJ, Schuler M, Damberg CL. The segregation of physician networks providing care to black and white patients with heart disease: Concepts, measures, and empirical evaluation. Soc Sci Med 2024; 343:116511. [PMID: 38244361 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Black-White disparities in cardiac care may be related to physician referral network segregation. We developed and tested new geographic physician network segregation measures. We used Medicare claims to identify Black and White Medicare heart disease patients and map physician networks for 169 hospital referral regions (HRRs) with over 1000 Black patients. We constructed two network segregation indexes ranging from 0 (integration) to 100 (total segregation): Dissimilarity (the unevenness of Black and White patient distribution across physicians [Dn]) and Absolute Clustering (the propensity of Black patients' physicians to have closer ties with each other than with other physicians [ACLn]). We employed conditional logit models to estimate the probability of using the best (lowest mortality) geographically available hospital for Black and White patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery in 126 markets with sufficient sample size at increasing levels of network segregation and for low vs. high HRR Black patient population. Physician network segregation was lower than residential segregation (Dissimilarity 21.9 vs. 48.7, and Absolute Clustering 4.8 vs. 32.4) and positively correlated with residential segregation (p < .001). Network segregation effects differed by race and HRR Black patient population. For White patients, higher network segregation was associated with a higher probability of using the best available hospitals in HRRs with few black patients but unchanged (ACLn) or lower (Dn) probability of best hospital use in HRRs with many Black patients. For Black patients, higher network segregation was not associated with a substantial change in the probability of best hospital use regardless of the HRR Black patient population size. Measuring physician network segregation is feasible and associated with nuanced effects on Black-White differences in high-quality hospital use for heart disease. Further work is needed to understand underlying mechanisms and potential uses in health equity policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioana Popescu
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 1100 Glendon Ave suite 850, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA; RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90403, USA.
| | - Ben Gibson
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90403, USA.
| | - Luke Matthews
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90403, USA.
| | - Shiyuan Zhang
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90403, USA.
| | - José J Escarce
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 1100 Glendon Ave suite 850, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA.
| | - Megan Schuler
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90403, USA.
| | - Cheryl L Damberg
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90403, USA.
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Matthews LJ, Damberg CL, Zhang S, Escarce JJ, Gibson CB, Schuler M, Popescu I. Within-Physician Differences in Patient Sharing Between Primary Care Physicians and Cardiologists Who Treat White and Black Patients With Heart Disease. J Am Heart Assoc 2023; 12:e030653. [PMID: 37982233 PMCID: PMC10727292 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.123.030653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Black-White disparities in heart disease treatment may be attributable to differences in physician referral networks. We mapped physician networks for Medicare patients and examined within-physician Black-White differences in patient sharing between primary care physicians and cardiologists. METHODS AND RESULTS Using Medicare fee-for-service files for 2016 to 2017, we identified a cohort of Black and White patients with heart disease and the primary care physicians and cardiologists treating them. To ensure the robustness of within-physician comparisons, we restricted the sample to regional health care markets (ie, hospital referral regions) with at least 10 physicians sharing ≥3 Black and White patients. We used claims to construct 2 race-specific physician network measures: degree (number of cardiologists with whom a primary care physician shares patients) and transitivity (network tightness). Measures were adjusted for Black-White differences in physician panel size and calculated for all settings (hospital and office) and for office settings only. Of 306 US hospital referral regions, 226 and 145 met study criteria for all settings and office setting analyses, respectively. Black patients had more cardiology encounters overall (6.9 versus 6.6; P<0.001) and with unique cardiologists (3.0 versus 2.6; P<0.001), but fewer office encounters (31.7% versus 41.1%; P<0.001). Primary care physicians shared Black patients with more cardiologists than White patients (mean differential degree 23.4 for all settings and 3.6 for office analyses; P<0.001 for both). Black patient-sharing networks were less tightly connected in all but office settings (mean differential transitivity -0.2 for all settings [P<0.001] and near 0 for office analyses [P=0.74]). CONCLUSIONS Within-physician Black-White differences in patient sharing exist and may contribute to disparities in cardiac care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ioana Popescu
- RAND CorporationSanta MonicaCA
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLALos AngelesCA
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Ganguli I, Mackwood MB, Yang CWW, Crawford M, Mulligan KL, O'Malley AJ, Fisher ES, Morden NE. Racial differences in low value care among older adult Medicare patients in US health systems: retrospective cohort study. BMJ 2023; 383:e074908. [PMID: 37879735 PMCID: PMC10599254 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-074908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterize racial differences in receipt of low value care (services that provide little to no benefit yet have potential for harm) among older Medicare beneficiaries overall and within health systems in the United States. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study SETTING: 100% Medicare fee-for-service administrative data (2016-18). PARTICIPANTS Black and White Medicare patients aged 65 or older as of 2016 and attributed to 595 health systems in the United States. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Receipt of 40 low value services among Black and White patients, with and without adjustment for patient age, sex, and previous healthcare use. Additional models included health system fixed effects to assess racial differences within health systems and separately, racial composition of the health system's population to assess the relative contributions of individual patient race and health system racial composition to low value care receipt. RESULTS The cohort included 9 833 304 patients (6.8% Black; 57.9% female). Of 40 low value services examined, Black patients had higher adjusted receipt of nine services and lower receipt of 20 services than White patients. Specifically, Black patients were more likely to receive low value acute diagnostic tests, including imaging for uncomplicated headache (6.9% v 3.2%) and head computed tomography scans for dizziness (3.1% v 1.9%). White patients had higher rates of low value screening tests and treatments, including preoperative laboratory tests (10.3% v 6.5%), prostate specific antigen tests (31.0% v 25.7%), and antibiotics for upper respiratory infections (36.6% v 32.7%; all P<0.001). Secondary analyses showed that these differences persisted within given health systems and were not explained by Black and White patients receiving care from different systems. CONCLUSIONS Black patients were more likely to receive low value acute diagnostic tests and White patients were more likely to receive low value screening tests and treatments. Differences were generally small and were largely due to differential care within health systems. These patterns suggest potential individual, interpersonal, and structural factors that researchers, policy makers, and health system leaders might investigate and address to improve care quality and equity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishani Ganguli
- Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew B Mackwood
- Department of Community & Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
- The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Ching-Wen Wendy Yang
- The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Maia Crawford
- The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | | | - A James O'Malley
- The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Elliott S Fisher
- Department of Community & Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
- The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
- Department of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Nancy E Morden
- The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA
- UnitedHealthcare, Minnetonka, MN, USA
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Casalino LP. Health Systems-The Present and the Future. JAMA 2023; 329:293-294. [PMID: 36692579 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2022.24141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Kronick
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public HealthUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
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Timbie JW, Kranz AM, DeYoreo M, Eshete-Roesler B, Elliott MN, Escarce JJ, Totten ME, Damberg CL. Racial and ethnic disparities in care for health system-affiliated physician organizations and non-affiliated physician organizations. Health Serv Res 2020; 55 Suppl 3:1107-1117. [PMID: 33094846 DOI: 10.1111/1475-6773.13581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess racial and ethnic disparities in care for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries and whether disparities differ between health system-affiliated physician organizations (POs) and nonaffiliated POs. DATA SOURCES We used Medicare Data on Provider Practice and Specialty (MD-PPAS), Medicare Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS), IRS Form 990, 100% Medicare FFS claims, and race/ethnicity estimated using the Medicare Bayesian Improved Surname Geocoding 2.0 algorithm. STUDY DESIGN Using a sample of 16 007 POs providing primary care in 2015, we assessed racial/ethnic disparities on 12 measures derived from claims (2 cancer screenings; diabetic eye examinations; continuity of care; two medication adherence measures; three measures of follow-up visits after acute care; all-cause emergency department (ED) visits, all-cause readmissions, and ambulatory care-sensitive admissions). We decomposed these "total" disparities into within-PO and between-PO components using models with PO random effects. We then pair-matched 1853 of these POs that were affiliated with health systems to similar nonaffiliated POs. We examined differences in within-PO disparities by affiliation status by interacting each nonwhite race/ethnicity with an affiliation indicator. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS Medicare Data on Provider Practice and Specialty identified POs billing Medicare; PECOS and IRS Form 990 identified health system affiliations. Beneficiaries age 18 and older were attributed to POs using a plurality visit rule. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We observed total disparities in 12 of 36 comparisons between white and nonwhite beneficiaries; nonwhites received worse care in 10. Within-PO disparities exceeded between-PO disparities and were substantively important (>=5 percentage points or>=0.2 standardized differences) in nine of the 12 comparisons. Among these 12, nonaffiliated POs had smaller disparities than affiliated POs in two comparisons (P < .05): 1.6 percentage points smaller black-white disparities in follow-up after ED visits and 0.6 percentage points smaller Hispanic-white disparities in breast cancer screening. CONCLUSIONS We find no evidence that system-affiliated POs have smaller racial and ethnic disparities than nonaffiliated POs. Where differences existed, disparities were slightly larger in affiliated POs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - José J Escarce
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA
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