ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Faculty Research Working Paper Series
ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Working Paper No. RWP12-007
March 2012
Abstract
Medicare continues to implement payment reforms that shift reimbursement from fee-for-service towards
episode-based payment, affecting average and marginal reimbursement. We contrast the effects of
two reforms for home health agencies. The Home Health Interim Payment System in 1997 lowered
both types of reimbursement; our conceptual model predicts a decline in the likelihood of use and
costs, both of which we find. The Home Health Prospective Payment System in 2000 raised average
but lowered marginal reimbursement with theoretically ambiguous effects; we find a modest increase
in use and costs. We find little substantive effect of either policy on readmissions or mortality.
Citation
Huckfeldt, Peter J., Neeraj Sood, José J Escarce, David C. Grabowski, and Joseph P. Newhouse. "Effects of Medicare Payment Reform: Evidence from the Home Health Interim and Prospective Payment Systems." ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-007, March 2012.