IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jhecon/v61y2018icp47-62.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of episode-based payment on health care spending and utilization: Evidence from perinatal care in Arkansas

Author

Listed:
  • Carroll, Caitlin
  • Chernew, Michael
  • Fendrick, A. Mark
  • Thompson, Joe
  • Rose, Sherri

Abstract

We study how physicians respond to financial incentives imposed by episode-based payment (EBP), which encourages lower spending and improved quality for an entire episode of care. Specifically, we study the impact of the Arkansas Health Care Payment Improvement Initiative, a multi-payer program that requires providers to enter into EBP arrangements for perinatal care, covering the majority of births in the state. Unlike fee-for-service reimbursement, EBP holds physicians responsible for all care within a discrete episode, rewarding physicians for efficient use of their own services and for efficient management of other health care inputs. In a difference-in-differences analysis of commercial claims, we find that perinatal spending in Arkansas decreased by 3.8% overall under EBP, compared to surrounding states. The decrease was driven by reduced spending on non-physician health care inputs, specifically the prices paid for inpatient facility care. We additionally find a limited improvement in quality of care under EBP.

Suggested Citation

  • Carroll, Caitlin & Chernew, Michael & Fendrick, A. Mark & Thompson, Joe & Rose, Sherri, 2018. "Effects of episode-based payment on health care spending and utilization: Evidence from perinatal care in Arkansas," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 47-62.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:61:y:2018:i:c:p:47-62
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.06.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167629617309670
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.06.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kolstad, Jonathan T. & Kowalski, Amanda E., 2012. "The impact of health care reform on hospital and preventive care: Evidence from Massachusetts," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 909-929.
    2. Mark McClellan, 2011. "Reforming Payments to Healthcare Providers: The Key to Slowing Healthcare Cost Growth While Improving Quality?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 25(2), pages 69-92, Spring.
    3. Leemore S. Dafny, 2005. "How Do Hospitals Respond to Price Changes?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(5), pages 1525-1547, December.
    4. Glied, Sherry & Zivin, Joshua Graff, 2002. "How do doctors behave when some (but not all) of their patients are in managed care?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 337-353, March.
    5. Kate Ho & Ariel Pakes, 2014. "Hospital Choices, Hospital Prices, and Financial Incentives to Physicians," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(12), pages 3841-3884, December.
    6. Hennig-Schmidt, Heike & Selten, Reinhard & Wiesen, Daniel, 2011. "How payment systems affect physicians' provision behaviour--An experimental investigation," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 637-646, July.
    7. Kate Ho & Ariel Pakes, 2014. "Physician Payment Reform and Hospital Referrals," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(5), pages 200-205, May.
    8. Schmitz, Hendrik, 2013. "Practice budgets and the patient mix of physicians – The effect of a remuneration system reform on health care utilisation," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1240-1249.
    9. Marianne Bertrand & Esther Duflo & Sendhil Mullainathan, 2004. "How Much Should We Trust Differences-In-Differences Estimates?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(1), pages 249-275.
    10. Martin Gaynor & Paul Gertler, 1995. "Moral Hazard and Risk Spreading in Partnerships," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 26(4), pages 591-613, Winter.
    11. Miller, Sarah, 2012. "The effect of insurance on emergency room visits: An analysis of the 2006 Massachusetts health reform," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 893-908.
    12. Buntin, Melinda Beeuwkes & Zaslavsky, Alan M., 2004. "Too much ado about two-part models and transformation?: Comparing methods of modeling Medicare expenditures," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 525-542, May.
    13. Akosa Antwi, Yaa & Moriya, Asako S. & Simon, Kosali I., 2015. "Access to health insurance and the use of inpatient medical care: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act young adult mandate," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 171-187.
    14. Jason Barro & Nancy Beaulieu, 2003. "Selection and Improvement: Physician Responses to Financial Incentives," NBER Working Papers 10017, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Vibeke Myrup Jensen, 2014. "Happy Doctor Makes Happy Baby? Incentivizing Physicians Improves Quality of Prenatal Care," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 96(5), pages 838-848, December.
    16. Ellis, Randall P. & McGuire, Thomas G., 1986. "Provider behavior under prospective reimbursement : Cost sharing and supply," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 129-151, June.
    17. Dusheiko, Mark & Gravelle, Hugh & Jacobs, Rowena & Smith, Peter, 2006. "The effect of financial incentives on gatekeeping doctors: Evidence from a natural experiment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 449-478, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Quinn, Amity E. & Trachtenberg, Aaron J. & McBrien, Kerry A. & Ogundeji, Yewande & Souri, Sepideh & Manns, Liam & Rennert-May, Elissa & Ronksley, Paul & Au, Flora & Arora, Nikita & Hemmelgarn, Brenda , 2020. "Impact of payment model on the behaviour of specialist physicians: A systematic review," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(4), pages 345-358.
    2. Chernew, Michael & Cooper, Zack & Hallock, Eugene Larsen & Scott Morton, Fiona, 2021. "Physician agency, consumerism, and the consumption of lower-limb MRI scans," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    3. Mengna Luan & Wenjing Shi & Zhigang Tao & Hongjie Yuan, 2023. "When patients have better insurance coverage in China: Provider incentives, costs, and quality of care," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 1073-1106, October.
    4. Rong Fu & Yichen Shen & Haruko Noguchi, 2021. "The best of both worlds? The economic effects of a hybrid fee‐for‐service and prospective payment reimbursement system," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(3), pages 505-524, March.
    5. Liran Einav & Amy Finkelstein & Yunan Ji & Neale Mahoney, 2022. "Voluntary Regulation: Evidence from Medicare Payment Reform," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 137(1), pages 565-618.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Caitlin Carroll & Michael Chernew & A. Mark Fendrick & Joe Thompson & Sherri Rose, 2017. "Effects of Episode-Based Payment on Health Care Spending and Utilization: Evidence from Perinatal Care in Arkansas," NBER Working Papers 23926, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Cox, James C. & Sadiraj, Vjollca & Schnier, Kurt E. & Sweeney, John F., 2016. "Incentivizing cost-effective reductions in hospital readmission rates," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 131(PB), pages 24-35.
    3. Charles Courtemanche & James Marton & Benjamin Ukert & Aaron Yelowitz & Daniela Zapata, 2018. "Early Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Care Access, Risky Health Behaviors, and Self‐Assessed Health," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 84(3), pages 660-691, January.
    4. Kümpel, Christian & Schneider, Udo, 2020. "Additional reimbursement for outpatient physicians treating nursing home residents reduces avoidable hospital admissions: Results of a reimbursement change in Germany," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(4), pages 470-477.
    5. Adolf Kwadzo Dzampe & Shingo Takahashi, 2024. "Financial incentives and health provider behaviour: Evidence from a capitation policy in Ghana," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(2), pages 333-344, February.
    6. Mengna Luan & Wenjing Shi & Zhigang Tao & Hongjie Yuan, 2023. "When patients have better insurance coverage in China: Provider incentives, costs, and quality of care," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 1073-1106, October.
    7. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Brendan Saloner, 2018. "Substance Use Treatment Provider Behavior and Healthcare Reform: Evidence from Massachusetts," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 76-101, January.
    8. Claudia Keser & Claude Montmarquette & Martin Schmidt & Cornelius Schnitzler, 2020. "Custom-made health-care: an experimental investigation," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    9. Dumont, Etienne & Fortin, Bernard & Jacquemet, Nicolas & Shearer, Bruce, 2008. "Physicians' multitasking and incentives: Empirical evidence from a natural experiment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 1436-1450, December.
    10. Jeannette Brosig‐Koch & Burkhard Hehenkamp & Johanna Kokot, 2017. "The effects of competition on medical service provision," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(S3), pages 6-20, December.
    11. Mark Duggan & Gopi Shah Goda & Emilie Jackson, 2019. "The Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage and Labor Market Outcomes," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 72(2), pages 261-322, June.
    12. Véra Zabrodina & Mark Dusheiko & Karine Moschetti, 2020. "A moneymaking scan: Dual reimbursement systems and supplier‐induced demand for diagnostic imaging," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(12), pages 1566-1585, December.
    13. Green, Ellen P., 2014. "Payment systems in the healthcare industry: An experimental study of physician incentives," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 367-378.
    14. Pedersen, Line Bjørnskov & Hess, Stephane & Kjær, Trine, 2016. "Asymmetric information and user orientation in general practice: Exploring the agency relationship in a best–worst scaling study," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 115-130.
    15. Maclean, Johanna Catherine & Tello-Trillo, Sebastian & Webber, Douglas, 2023. "Losing insurance and psychiatric hospitalizations," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 508-527.
    16. Sebastian Tello Trillo & Ausmita Ghosh & Kosali Simon & Johanna Catherine Maclean, 2015. "Losing Medicaid: What happens to hospitalizations?," NBER Working Papers 21580, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Thomas Buchmueller & Sarah Miller & Marko Vujicic, 2016. "How Do Providers Respond to Changes in Public Health Insurance Coverage? Evidence from Adult Medicaid Dental Benefits," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 8(4), pages 70-102, November.
    18. Peter Martinsson & Emil Persson, 2019. "Physician behavior and conditional altruism: the effects of payment system and uncertain health benefit," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 87(3), pages 365-387, October.
    19. Reo Takaku & Atsushi Yamaoka, 2019. "Payment systems and hospital length of stay: a bunching-based evidence," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 53-77, March.
    20. Simon Reif & Lucas Hafner & Michael Seebauer, 2020. "Physician Behavior under Prospective Payment Schemes—Evidence from Artefactual Field and Lab Experiments," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-37, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    I1; I11; Physician payment methods; Bundled payment; Incentive contracts; Physician productivity; Perinatal care;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:61:y:2018:i:c:p:47-62. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505560 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.