ADVI Analysis: MedPAC March 2024 Meeting

MedPAC held a meeting March 7-8, 2024 (link). The following relevant topics were discussed: 

• Assessing data sources for measuring health care utilization by Medicare Advantage enrollees: Encounter data and other sources 
• Preliminary analysis of Medicare Advantage quality 
• Medicare’s Acute Hospital Care at Home program 

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Key takeaways from the March meeting include:

• Assessing data sources for measuring health care utilization by Medicare Advantage enrollees: Encounter data and other sources 
  • MedPAC staff presented their assessment of Medicare Advantage encounter data and its value in measuring health utilization. Staff sought general comments from the Commissioners as the report will be included as a chapter in their June 2024 report to Congress. Commissioners were generally optimistic about the number of patient claims contained in both the encounter data and other systems that can be linked to the encounter data, such as MedPAR and OASIS. 
• Preliminary analysis of Medicare Advantage quality 
  • Commissioners reviewed a preliminary analysis by the MedPAC staff on Medicare Advantage quality. Staff sought feedback as they continue their study, which will not be included in the June 2024 report to Congress. Commissioners agreed on the importance of this work and its necessity in giving beneficiaries access to accurate quality information. Commissioners generally agreed that there is value in conducting a quality analysis at a more microscopic (market-level) level, however, one Commissioner urged the Commission not to neglect broader analyses of Medicare Advantage quality at a contract-wide level. 
• Medicare’s Acute Hospital Care at Home program
  • Staff presented an overview of the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) program and provided initial findings from AHCaH participants. Commissioners, while expressing mixed reactions to the effectiveness of the program, largely agreed the program should continue in order to gather additional data on program performance. 

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