Effect of an innovative Medicare managed care program on the quality of care for nursing home residents

Purpose: We sought to assess the quality of care provided by an innovative Medicare+Choice HMO targeted specifically at nursing home residents and employing nurse practitioners to provide additional primary care over and above that provided by physicians. The underlying premise of the Evercare approach is that the additional primary care will reduce the rate of untoward events and reduce the use of hospitals. Four aspects of quality were assessed: mortality, preventable hospitalizations, quality indicators derived from the Minimum Data Set, and change in functioning. Design and Methods: The care provided by Evercare was compared with that for two control groups: (a) other residents in the same homes not enrolled in Evercare and (b) residents in homes in the same geographic area that did not participate in Evercare. Data came from various sources, including the Minimum Data Set. Utilization was based on Medicare data for controls and United Healthcare data for Evercare residents. Survival analysis was used to estimate mortality rates. Various risk adjustment methods were applied to the quality indicators. Results: The hazard rates of mortality were significantly lower for Evercare residents than for other residents in the same nursing homes. Evercare residents had fewer preventable hospitalizations; the difference was significant for one control group. The. rates of quality indicators and functional change were equivalent. Implications: Evercare, with its use of nurse practitioners, represents a model that can provide more efficient care that is of at least comparable quality.