Bruce E. Landon, MD, MBA

Risk-bearing provider organizations rely on physicians to achieve cost savings. The literature on physician-mediated interventions to reduce costs is scant and provides little guidance on effective strategies.

Enrollees who join Medicare Advantage undergo significant turnover in the years following enrollment.

Medicare Advantage enrollees are more likely to be treated with metformin and sulfonylureas and less likely to receive costly newer medications than those in traditional Medicare.

Analysis of spending differences among accountable care organizations (ACOs) may help identify cost savings opportunities. We examined the magnitude and sources of spending variation among ACOs over 4 years.

Quality of care varies according to the compensation methods used in primary care, but the relationship between compensation methods and preventable hospital admissions is inconsistent.

High-deductible health plan members had sustained reductions in emergency department visits over 2 years but initial reductions in hospital utilization and costs were not sustained.

This survey of 252 HMOs found that almost all measure their performance on multiple indicators of quality and most use these data in quality improvement activities.