Specialization of Home Health Agencies to Deliver Care for Medicare Advantage Patients

What is the association between home health agency (HHA) specialization in delivering care for Medicare Advantage (MA) patients and quality of care received?In this cohort study of 749 719 patients enrolled in MA who received HHA care in 2019, those receiving care from MA-specialized HHAs had fewer visits and shorter lengths of stay. More hospitalizations and nursing home admissions after discharge from the HHA, but no difference in mortality, were observed.These findings suggest that although MA-specialized HHAs provide fewer services with no negative association with patient outcomes during the HHA episode, there are unclear implications for service use after discharge.

Corresponding Author: Amanda C. Chen, PhD, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, 180 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (amandachen@g.harvard.edu).

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