Can Administrative Database Studies Inform Medication Use Policy Decisions? An Application of Occam's Razor

The authors probed Medicare Part B data to explore outpatient clinical procedures performed by physician associates and nurse practitioners and report the trends from 2014 through 2021.

Analysis of a patient sample enrolled in charitable care at an academic medical center revealed that chronic medications were variably filled at a significant cost.

Accounting for 32% of all Medicare enrollees in 2019, high-need beneficiaries were more likely to be in traditional Medicare than Medicare Advantage.

Among adults with newly diagnosed cancer, rates of low-value cancer services persisted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in areas ranging from peridiagnosis imaging to end-of-life care.

Enhancing coordination of care has the potential to increase the value of heart failure care.

Average prices are substantially higher but rates of complications are similar in hospital-based vs freestanding surgery centers for colonoscopy, arthroscopy, and cataract removal surgery.