Patient Cognitive Impairment Associated With Greater Care Intensity During Medicare Home Health Care

Medicare beneficiaries with cognitive impairment are more likely to access home health care than those without such impairment, and an estimated 1 in 3 Medicare home health patients has diagnosed dementia. However, recent changes to the Medicare home health payment system do not adjust for patients’ cognitive impairment. To the extent that cognitive impairment prompts higher intensity care, this could create a financial disincentive for providers serving this patient population. We draw on a nationally representative sample of 1,214 (weighted n=5,856,333) community-living Medicare beneficiaries who received home health care between 2011-2016. We measure care intensity by the number and type of visits received during an index home health care episode. We model care intensity as a function of patient cognitive impairment during the episode, measured via clinician reports in standardized patient assessment data. In propensity score adjusted, multivariable models holding all covariates at their means, home health patients with identified cognitive impairment received a significantly greater number of visits. During the index home health episode, cognitively impaired patients received an additional 2.82 total visits (95% CI: 1.32-4.31; p<0.001), 1.39 nursing visits (95% CI: 0.49-2.29; p=0.003), 0.72 physical therapy visits (95% CI: 0.06-1.39; p=0.03), and 0.60 occupational therapy visits (95% CI: 0.15-1.05; p=0.01). Findings suggest that recent changes to Medicare home health care reimbursement do not reflect the more intensive care needs of patients with cognitive impairment, and may threaten access to care for these individuals.

Analysing the effects of healthcare payment policies in conjunction with tax-benefit policies: A microsimulation study with real-world healthcare data

In Europe, many people experience financial hardship due to healthcare payments despite (near-)universal healthcare systems. In Finland, as well as in many other countries, austerity has further widened the gaps in coverage through increases in patient payments. However, the distributional analyses of austerity have concentrated on the effects of tax benefit policies alone. We present a method for examining how health payment policies and tax-benefit policies affect household incomes in conjunction, to evaluate the total effect of implemented and planned policies. We linked the national tax-benefit microsimulation model, SISU, and its nationally representative 15% sample of households in Finland in 2017 (n=826,001) with administrative real-world healthcare data (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare Care Register for Health Care, HILMO; and Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kela, National Health Insurance reimbursement registers). As a case example, we analysed the effects on relative poverty risk and poverty gap during two government terms. We found that between 2011 and 2015, tax-benefit policies contributed to decreasing relative poverty, and health payment changes had no measurable effects. In 2015–2019, the poverty risk rate and average gap increased due to tax-benefit policies, and health payment changes strengthened the effects by 10% to 20%. Health payments, and their increases, mainly deteriorated the position of older adults; nevertheless, their poverty risk mostly remained below the population average. Social assistance had an important buffering effect among under 65-year-old population. Health payment increases thus exacerbated the effects of austerity on the oldest age-groups, who, based on tax-benefit analyses alone, were relatively well protected.

A 15-Year Trend of Catastrophic Health Payment and its Inequality in China: Evidence from Longitudinal Data

Background：The Chinese health care system has gone through two major cycles of reform since the 1980s. This study aims to comprehensively track the trends in the occurrence of catastrophic health payment and its inequality in the past 15 years, which may help better understand the influence of health system reforms on catastrophic health payment and its inequality. Methods：The study employed the subset of data from China Health and Nutrition Survey conducted from 1991 to 2015. Concentration index and decomposition analysis were used to measure the magnitude of income-related inequality in catastrophic health payment and decompose it into determinants respectively. Results: The incidence of catastrophic health expenditure in China increased from 3.10% in 1993 to 8.90% in 2004, and still maintained at a high level in the following years. The incidence gap of catastrophic health payment between the richest and poorest became increasingly wider over year. Moreover, the adjusted concentration indexes were all negative in each year, decreasing from -0.202 in 1991 to -0.613 in 2015. The basic medical insurance didn’t decrease the incidence of catastrophic health payment and showed the second largest contribution on the inequality in catastrophic health payment before 2004. However, this contribution began to decline after 2006. Conclusions: After the New Health Care Reform, although the Chinese government has taken many measures to protect poor households from catastrophic health payment, the incidence gap between the rich and poor has widened. China has nearly achieved universal coverage in recent years, however, the basic medical insurance in China was not enough to protect households from catastrophic health payment. Our study suggests that improving the generosity of existing basic medical insurance, and reforming the medical insurance payment system would be helpful to reduce the incidence of catastrophic health payment. The use of big data tools and techniques to effectively screen the poor households, and strengthening the social medical aid system would be helpful to decrease the pro-rich inequality in catastrophic health payment.

The Impact of Cognitive Impairment on Resource Utilization During Medicare Home Health Care

Older adults with cognitive impairment have unique care needs that often lead to greater levels of health care utilization. Prior work suggests that older adults with cognitive impairment access home health care at higher rates; yet, recent Medicare home health payment system revisions exclude patient cognitive status when determining risk adjustment. This research examines the relationship between patient cognitive status and resource utilization during Medicare home health care. We examine 1,217 (weighted n=2,134,620) community-dwelling older adults who received Medicare-funded home health between 2011-2016, using linked nationally representative survey data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), home health patient assessment data, Medicare claims data, and Medicare Provider of Services files. We use weighted, multivariable negative binomial regressions to model the relationship between patient dementia status and the expected number of total visits and number of each visit type (nursing, therapy, and aide) during home health. Models adjusted for patient sociodemographic characteristics and health and functional status during home health, as well as home health provider characteristics. Among Medicare home health patients, the presence of cognitive impairment during home health is associated with 2.87 additional total visits (p<0.001), 1.27 additional nursing visits (p<0.01), and 1.23 additional therapy visits (p=0.04) during the home health episode. Findings suggest that recent revisions to the Medicare home health payment system may disincentivize home health care for older adults with dementia and/or financially penalize home health providers whose patient populations have a greater dementia burden.

Characterization and analysis of the basic elements of health payment mechanisms and their most frequent types

Introduction Healthcare systems are developed in imperfect scenarios, in which there are constant failures (uncertainty, information asymmetry, agency relationship problem, and supply-induced demand). These failures, based on the imperfection of the sector, determine the relationships and incentives between the actors. It is within this context that payment mechanisms regulate aspects of the system behavior and incentives, acting as instruments for the purchasing of health care from providers, mediated by health insurance on behalf of users. Objective To characterize the basic elements of most frequent payment mechanisms to help providers in their relationship with payers. Methods A review of the evidence was conducted in PubMed, Google, Google Scholar, and strategic snowball selection. Payment mechanisms consist of three classical microeconomics variables, fixed or variable: price, quantity, and expense. Time dimensions are used to analyze their attributes and effects. Different mechanisms emerge from the combination of these variables. Results Among the most used are: Fee-For-Service, Global Budget, Bundled Payments, Diagnosis-Related Groups, Per-capita, Performance Pay, and Risk-Sharing Agreements. A fourth has also gained importance: Financial Risk. Conclusions Payment mechanisms are essential to link health efforts with clinical practice. They make it possible to regulate relationships between insurers, providers, and users, which, depending on the architecture of the mechanism, can become beneficial or hinder the fulfillment of the objectives of the health system.

UNDERSTANDING NON-MEDICAL COSTS FOR HEALTH CARE: EVIDENCE FROM INPATIENT CARE FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN CHINA

Non-medical costs can constitute a substantial part of total health care costs, especially for older people. Costs associated with carers, travel, food and accommodation for family members accompanying and caring for older people during their medical visits can be hefty. This study seeks to examine the effects of non-medical costs on catastrophic health payments and health payment-induced poverty among older people in rural and urban China. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey 2015, this study finds that inpatient costs account for a significant proportion of household expenditure, and non-medical costs can account for approximately 18% of total costs. That share is highest for those who belong to the lowest wealth groups. Non-medical costs increase the chances of older people incurring catastrophic health payments and suffering from health payment-induced poverty. Such effects are more concentrated among the poor than the rich. The results also show that the rural population are more likely to incur catastrophic health payments and suffer from health payment induced poverty compared to the urban population. This paper urges policy makers to consider reimbursing the non-medical costs of patient care, improving health care systems in general and for the rural populations specifically.

Understanding the Non-medical Costs of Healthcare: Evidence from Inpatient Care for Older People in China

Non-medical costs, including costs associated with carers, travel, food and accommodation for family members who care for older people during their medical visits, can constitute a substantial part of total healthcare costs, especially for older people. Using data from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey, this study examines the effects of such non-medical costs on catastrophic health payments and health payment-induced poverty among older people in China. Results indicate that non-medical costs account for approximately 18 per cent of total inpatient costs. The percentage is highest for those in the lowest economic brackets. Rural populations are more likely than urban populations to incur catastrophic health payments and suffer from health payment-induced poverty. Non-medical costs increase the chances of older people incurring catastrophic health payments and suffering from health payment-induced poverty. These findings suggest that policymakers should look to develop new policies that facilitate reimbursement of non-medical costs, particularly for the rural population.