Investigators from University of Pennsylvania Hospital Report New Data on Medicare and Medicaid (Enteral Access Procedures: An 18-Year Analysis of…

Investigators from University of Pennsylvania Hospital Report New Data on Medicare and Medicaid (Enteral Access Procedures: An 18-Year Analysis of Changing Patterns of Utilization in the Medicare Population)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- A new study on Medicare and Medicaid is now available. According to news reporting from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "To evaluate national trends in enteral access and maintenance procedures for Medicare beneficiaries with regard to utilization rates, specialty group roles, and sites of service. Using Medicare Physician Supplier Procedure Summary Master Files for the period 1994-2012, claims for gastrostomy and gastrojejunostomy access and maintenance procedures were identified."

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, "Longitudinal utilization rates were calculated using annual enrollment data. Procedure volumes by site of service and medical specialty were analyzed. Between 1994 and 2012, de novo enteral access procedure utilization decreased from 61.6 to 42.3 per 10,000 Medicare Part B beneficiaries (-31%). Gastroenterologists and surgeons performed > 80% of procedures (unchanged over study period) with 97% in the hospital setting. Over time, relative use of an endoscopic approach (62% in 1994; 82% in 2012) increased as percutaneous (21% to 12%) and open surgical (17% to 5%) procedures declined. Existing enteral access maintenance services increased 29% (from 20.1 to 25.9 per 10,000 beneficiaries). Radiologists (from 13% to 31%) surpassed gastroenterologists (from 36% to 21%) as dominant providers of maintenance procedures. Emergency physicians (from 8% to 23%) and nonphysician providers (from 0% to 6%) have seen rapid growth as maintenance services providers as these services have transitioned increasingly to the emergency department setting (from 18% to 32%). Among Medicare beneficiaries, de novo enteral access procedures have declined in the last 2 decades as existing access maintenance services have increased."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "The latter are increasingly performed by radiologists, emergency physicians, and nonphysician providers."

For more information on this research see: Enteral Access Procedures: An 18-Year Analysis of Changing Patterns of Utilization in the Medicare Population. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, 2017;28(1):134-141. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, 360 Park Ave South, New York, NY 10010-1710, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting W.S. Wan, University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Dept. of Radiol, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States. Additional authors for this research include C.M. Hawkins, J. Hemingway, D. Hughes and R. Duszak.

Keywords for this news article include: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America, Medicare and Medicaid, Health Policy, Medicare, University of Pennsylvania Hospital.

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