Researchers at University of Maryland School of Public Health Have Reported New Data on Managed Care (Associations Between ACO Enrollment Status and Drug and Nondrug Costs Among Older Adults Newly Diagnosed With ADRD): Managed Care

2026 MAR 05 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Data detailed on Managed Care have been presented. According to news originating from College Park, Maryland, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Despite the promising role of accountable care organizations (ACOs) in improving care coordination and lowering total costs of care, it is unclear whether ACO enrollment leads to reduced drug costs among individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). This longitudinal cohort study examined the long-term effects of ACO enrollment on drug and nondrug Medicare payments among Medicare beneficiaries with ADRD, focusing on their comorbidity burden.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Maryland School of Public Health, “This study tracked annual Part D prescription drug and nondrug payments of 111,235 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries newly diagnosed with ADRD one year prior and five years after the ADRD diagnosis year (2017) by their ACO enrollment and comorbidity burden status. Comorbidity burden was assessed based on the number of comorbidities ADRD patients had, categorized into no multiple chronic conditions (No MCC; 0 or 1), low MCC (2-4), and multisystem morbidity (MM; 5 ) groups. ACO enrollees spent significantly less on both drug and nondrug payments than non-ACO enrollees, with greater payment differences observed among those with higher comorbidity burden. Drug payment differences ranged from $55 to $93 among those with low MCC and $70-$119 among those with MM. Nondrug payment differences were the greatest during the diagnosis year, with $1,666 for those with MCC and $3,670 for those with MM.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The findings of this study underscore meaningful differences in prescription drug and nondrug payments associated with ACO enrollment among Medicare beneficiaries with ADRD, particularly among those with greater coexisting comorbidity burden.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Associations Between ACO Enrollment Status and Drug and Nondrug Costs Among Older Adults Newly Diagnosed With ADRD. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2026. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA.

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Seyeon Jang, Dept. of Health Policy and Management (SJ, XQ, JC), University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD. Additional authors for this research include Xuanzi Qin, Min Qi Wang and Jie Chen.

The publisher’s contact information for the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry is: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA.

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