Primary Care Physicians and Spending on Low-Value Care

Background: Low-value services account for $75 billion to $100 billion of U.S. health care spending. Primary care physicians (PCPs) have been conceptualized as potential gatekeepers for efforts to reduce low-value spending, but the share of low-value spending directly related to their services and referral decisions remains unclear .

Objective: To estimate the share of low-value spending on Medicare beneficiaries that is directly related to their attributed PCP’s services or referrals.

Methods and Findings: We analyzed Medicare Part B claims from a 20% random sample of beneficiaries enrolled between 2007 and 2014. The study population included beneficiaries who were …

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By |2021-07-21T13:36:16-04:00January 21st, 2021|