Researchers examined the data of beneficiaries continuously enrolled in Humana’s Medicare Advantage HMO plans offered from Jan. 1, 2019, to Sept. 30, 2020. Contract data was used to determine the payment model under which the organization was reimbursed for the patients’ care. The payment models were classified as either fee-for-service, shared savings with upside-only financial risk, shared savings with downside financial risk or capitation.
The results suggested that “accountability for cost, quality, and disease management under value-based payment models — and the infrastructure, technology, and management systems of organizations engaging in these models — may have been a stronger catalyst for telemedicine adoption than recouping revenue from deferred in-person visits,” the study authors wrote.
