Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Center for International Security and Cooperation Stanford University


Publications




Health Plan Performance Measurement: Does it Affect Quality of Care for Medicare Managed Care Enrollees?

Journal Article

Authors
M. Kate Bundorf - Stanford University
Kavita Choudhry
Laurence C. Baker - Stanford University

Published by
Inquiry, Vol. 45, page(s) 168-183
Summer 2008


Although the objective of provider performance measurement is to improve quality of care, little evidence exists on whether it has this effect. This study examines the implementation of mandatory quality reporting for Medicare managed care (MMC) plans. We compare utilization rates of performance-measured services for Medicare beneficiaries who were and were not enrolled in these plans before and after the program's introduction. We find that the use of measured services increased among both MMC and fee-for-service beneficiaries after the adoption of performance measurement. Our results provide no evidence that performance measurement increased quality care among MMC enrollees.