5 ways Medicare Advantage, fee-for-service differ on care for chronic conditions: Report

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with three common chronic conditions spend less time in the hospital than their counterparts in fee-for-service Medicare, an industry-backed report found. 

A report published June 27 by consulting group Avalere, commissioned by the Better Medicare Alliance, compared outcomes for MA and fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes. 

Here are five findings to note: 

1. Among people with the three conditions studied, Avalere found more MA beneficiaries identified as racial or ethnic minorities than FFS beneficiaries. MA beneficiaries were also more likely to be enrolled in Medicare due to a disability. 
2. MA enrollees in Avalere's sample were less likely to visit the emergency room than FFS enrollees. 
3. MA beneficiaries had slightly more primary care office visits than FFS beneficiaries. In a sample of 1,000 enrollees with one of three chronic conditions, MA beneficiaries visited primary care an average of 11 to 12 times each year, compared to 10.1 to 10.5 for FFS.
4. MA enrollees had lower per-member monthly costs than fee-for-service. For enrollees with diabetes, average per-member per-months costs were $1,532 in Medicare Advantage and $2,204 in fee-for-service. 
5. Quality outcomes were similar between the two programs. 

See the full report here.