Medicare Reimbursements

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Data Source

Atlas Data – General Atlas Rates – Medicare Reimbursements

Medicare spending varies more than twofold among hospital referral regions. Spending also varies from state to state, and from one hospital to another, even among hospitals within the same region. Most of this variation is not due to differences in the price of care in different parts of the country, but rather to differences in the volume, or the amount of inpatient care delivered per patient.

Regional variation in Medicare spending is striking. Among the 306 hospital referral regions in the United States, price-adjusted Medicare reimbursements varied twofold in 2016, from about $7,400 per enrollee in the lowest spending region to more than $13,000 in the highest spending region. From 1992 to 2006, total Medicare spending grew at an average rate of 3.5% per year, but this growth was not consistent across regions. These findings have important implications for health policy and the goal of achieving sustainable and affordable health care for all Americans.

Dartmouth Atlas Medicare reimbursement rates are calculated from Medicare claims files from CMS. Fee-for-service patients enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B are included. Patients enrolled in risk-bearing health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are excluded from our analyses. Health maintenance organizations receive capitated payments from Medicare – a fixed annual amount per enrollee – in exchange for which the HMO must provide all required services. Since HMOs do not submit individual claims to Medicare, we must exclude members of HMOs from our claims analyses.

The rates are adjusted for the age, sex and race of the underlying Medicare population using the indirect method. They are also adjusted for regional differences in prices. While price differences explain some of the regional variation in Medicare spending, our studies suggest that utilization – the volume of services delivered – is a far more important driver of Medicare regional payment variation than price differences.

Medicare Reimbursements – by HRR

More information on Hospital Referral Regions (HRR)

Medicare Reimbursements – by HSA

More information on Hospital Service Areas (HSA)


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Medicare Reimbursements – by State


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Medicare Reimbursements 2016 – by County


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Footnotes

  • Durable Medical Equipment Reimbursements per Enrollee: Data come from the Durable Medical Equipment file.
  • Home Health Agency Reimbursements per Enrollee: Data come from the Home Health Agency file.
  • Hospice Reimbursements per Enrollee: Data come from the Hospice file.
  • Hospital & Skilled Nursing Facility Reimbursements Per Enrollee: Data come from the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) file.
  • Outpatient Reimbursements Per Enrollee: Data come from the Outpatient file.
  • Physician Reimbursements Per Enrollee: Data come from the Physician/Supplier Part B – Carrier File.

Denominator Definition
Medicare beneficiaries age 65-99 enrolled in both Medicare Parts A and B. Patients enrolled in risk-bearing health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are excluded.

Adjustments
For more information about price adjustment, click here.

Related Content
A New Series of Medicare Expenditure Measures by Hospital Referral Region: 2003-2008 Jonathan Skinner, Daniel Gottlieb and Donald Carmichael (Dartmouth Atlas Project Report – 6/21/2011)