Medicare Advantage Patients More Likely To Be Readmitted

People with Medicare Advantage coverage are 6 percent more likely to be readmitted within 30 days of an initial hospitalization compared with people who have traditional Medicare fee-for-service coverage, according to a new AHRQ-funded study.  Even though Medicare Advantage enrollees typically are younger and have fewer serious illnesses, they had a higher likelihood of readmission even after study authors controlled for risk and self-selection bias. Publishing readmission rates among Medicare plans can offer enrollees new insights about each plan’s quality of care and could spur development of programs to reduce readmissions.  The study, Likelihood of Hospital Readmission after First Discharge in the Year: Medicare Advantage vs. Fee-for-Service Patients, was published November 9 in Inquiry.  A print copy is available by sending an e-mail to ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.