Post-Acute Care Utilization and Quality Among High Risk Medicare Enrollees

Post-acute care represents important rehabilitation and recuperation services delivered to Medicare beneficiaries after an acute care hospital stay. Of particular interest within the cohort of post-acute users are the frail older adult and other vulnerable populations with disabilities and multi-morbid conditions associated with high cost and need. The impact of different payment incentives on post-acute utilization and outcomes in this high risk cohort has not been fully explored. This study helps address this gap by 1) assessing the impact of geriatric risk factors on post-acute utilization and outcomes among hospitalized Medicare patients, and 2) examining whether differences in post-acute utilization between Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service Medicare patients persist after controlling for geriatric conditions.