Do Medicare HMOs and Medicare FFS differ in their use of the Medicare hospice benefit?

This study compares use of the hospice benefit in Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) and Medicare risk-health maintenance organization (HMO) options in South Florida in 1992. A higher percentage of deaths occurred in hospice in the HMO option than in the FFS option. Compared to individuals in the FFS op...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Hospice journal Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 1
Main Authors Virnig, B A, Persily, N A, Morgan, R O, DeVito, C A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 1999
Subjects
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Fee-for-Service Plans - economics
Female
Florida
Health Maintenance Organizations - economics
Health Maintenance Organizations - utilization
Health Services Research
Hospices - economics
Hospital Mortality
Humans
Length of Stay - statistics & numerical data
Logistic Models
Male
Medicare - economics
Survival Analysis
United States
Florida
United States
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Summary:This study compares use of the hospice benefit in Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) and Medicare risk-health maintenance organization (HMO) options in South Florida in 1992. A higher percentage of deaths occurred in hospice in the HMO option than in the FFS option. Compared to individuals in the FFS option, HMO-enrolled hospice users had longer lengths of hospice stay, lower 7-day mortality and higher 180-day (6 month) survival. These differences are consistent with the physician's financial incentives associated with the two programs.
ISSN:0742-969X
DOI:10.1080/0742-969X.1999.11882910