Table 8. Treatment-Control Differences in Use of and Reimbursement for Medicare Services During Home Health Episodes, by Outcome.
| Outcome | Unadjusted Treatment Group Mean | Estimated Treatment-Control Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Total Reimbursement | ||
| Part A | $3,211 | -$193 (-1.23) |
| Part B | $869 | -$61 (-1.00) |
| Total Medicare | $4,080 | -$289 (-1.48) |
| Inpatient Hospital Services | ||
| Number of Admissions | .26 | -0.01 (-0.48) |
| Number of Days | 1.8 | -0.1 (-0.44) |
| Home Health Services | ||
| Number of Visits | 129.7 | -10.9 **(-6.28) |
| Medicare Reimbursement | $2,039 | -$233 *(-2.29) |
| Emergency Outpatient Services | ||
| Number of Visits | .13 | -0.02 (-1.21) |
| Non-Emergency Outpatient Services | ||
| Number of Visits | .75 | 0.12 (1.81) |
| Practitioner Services2 | ||
| Number of Visits | 5.06 | -1.07 **(-3.72) |
| Durable Medical Equipment (DME) | ||
| Receipt of DME (Percent) |
33.9 |
3-4.6 **(3.80) |
| Medicare Reimbursement | $105 | -$50 **(-3.91) |
| Other Part B Services4 | ||
| Use of Services (Percent) |
66.5 |
3-5.2 **(-4.02) |
| Medicare Reimbursement | $272 | $13 (0.37) |
Significantly different from zero at the .05 level, two-tailed test.
Significantly different from zero at the .01 level, two-tailed test.
Differs from the mean number of visits per episode presented in Table 4. The two analyses rely on somewhat different samples and different sources of Medicare claims (the demonstration fiscal intermediary and the National Claims History file).
Practitioner services include those delivered outside of home health care by physicians; physical, occupational, and speech therapists; certified nurse anesthetists; nurse midwives; psychologists; and social workers.
These estimates are the average difference between two predicted probabilities for each individual from a logit model, one treating the individual as a treatment group member and the other treating the individual as a control group member. The t-statistic pertains to the coefficient on the treatment status variable in the logit model.
Other Part B services include diagnostic laboratory and radiology services, supplies and devices, mental health services, drugs, radiation therapy, ambulance, pap smears, and mammograms.
NOTES: Numbers in parentheses are t-statistics. The sample size is 24,396 (18,298 treatment and 6,098 control) episodes.
SOURCE: Authors' calculations from Medicare claims data.