Studies from Harvard School of Medicine Update Current Data on Medicare (Implications of Variation in the Relationships between Beneficiary…

Studies from Harvard School of Medicine Update Current Data on Medicare (Implications of Variation in the Relationships between Beneficiary Characteristics and Medicare Advantage CAHPS Measures)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Current study results on Medicare and Medicaid - Medicare have been published. According to news originating from Boston, Massachusetts, by VerticalNews correspondents, research stated, "To study how differences in quality score adjustments across Medicare Advantage contracts change comparisons for individuals and contracts. Responses to the Medicare Advantage implementation of the Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey from 2010 to 2014."

Funders for this research include Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Yale University, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RAND Corporation.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Harvard School of Medicine, "We fit national-and state-level hierarchical models to predict CAHPS scores for individuals and contracts, adjusted for self-reported education, general health, and mental health. We allow the effects of these variables on quality measures to vary across contracts with a hierarchical model. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. We perform secondary data analysis. For average consumers, standard adjustment is sufficient to represent variation in contract quality standardized to a common population. For people with characteristics far from average, personalized reporting using their characteristics and contract-specific coefficients can substantially change the expected quality measures across contracts. This effect is stronger when comparing among contracts within a state than across all contracts."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Customized reporting may help consumers select the best Medicare Advantage plan, but policies should protect against unintended consequences."

For more information on this research see: Implications of Variation in the Relationships between Beneficiary Characteristics and Medicare Advantage CAHPS Measures. Health Services Research, 2017;52(4):1310-1329. Health Services Research can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - www.wiley.com/; Health Services Research - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1475-6773)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from L.A. Hatfield, Harvard Med Sch, Dept. of Hlth Care Policy, Boston, MA 02115, United States.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12544. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Boston, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America, Medicare and Medicaid, Health Policy, Harvard School of Medicine.

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