Document Type
Capstone Experience
Graduation Date
12-2019
Degree Name
Master of Public Health
Department
Health Promotion
First Committee Member
Dr. Paul Estabrooks
Second Committee Member
Dr. Jungyoon Kim
Third Committee Member
Dr. Keyonna King
Abstract
It is important to understand the quality of health care for racial and ethnic minorities covered under the largest U.S. government-run insurance program, Medicare, because the demographics of the U.S. are becoming older and more diverse. A new value-based program under Medicare is the Shared Savings Program (MSSP), which creates incentives to improve care quality and health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries with a specific focus on increasing the provision of preventive care services. This capstone project aims to understand the representation of racial/ethnic minority Medicare beneficiaries, namely African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics/Latinxs, that receive care from providers or facilities (i.e., Accountable Care Organizations [ACOs]) participating in the MSSP, as well as their representation in ACOs with the highest quality measure performance scores on colorectal cancer screening and breast cancer screening – two important preventive health services. Upon analyzing publically available data on the entire Medicare program and MSSP ACOs, the results indicated that the representation of African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics/Latinxs in MSSP ACOs was less than their representation in the entire Medicare program, as well as less in ACOs with top performance in both of the cancer screening preventive health measures. Being aware of the reach of the MSSP among racial/ethnic minority populations may help policy makers and health care organizations address barriers and establish effective strategies for racial/ethnic minority participation in the MSSP and other value-based care programs in an effort to, ultimately, promote health equity and eliminate current overarching disparities in quality of care and health outcomes that exist within these populations.
Recommended Citation
Arneson, Lindsey, "Examining Racial & Ethnic Disparities in the Reach of the Medicare Shared Savings Program" (2019). Capstone Experience. 95.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/coph_slce/95
Included in
Administrative Law Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Economic Policy Commons, Health and Medical Administration Commons, Health Economics Commons, Health Law and Policy Commons, Health Policy Commons, Health Services Administration Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Law and Race Commons, Oncology Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Policy History, Theory, and Methods Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Public Policy Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Theory, Knowledge and Science Commons