Table 2

Characteristics of CPC+ Applicants and Nonapplicants in CPC+ Regions, Based on Medicare FFS Beneficiary Composition, Before CPC+

CharacteristicAll Practices (n = 16,883)aAmong All Practices in CPC+ Regions P Value
Applicants (n = 4,346)bNonapplicants (n = 12,537)
Characteristics of Medicare FFS beneficiaries attributed to practice at baselinec
Age
 0-49 y, % (95% CI)7.4 (7.2-7.5)6.0 (5.8-6.2)7.8 (7.6-8.0)<.001
 50-64 y, % (95% CI)15.2 (15.1-15.5)13.1 (12.9-13.4)16.0 (15.8-16.3)<.001
 65-74 y, % (95% CI)43.6 (43.4-43.8)45.3 (45.0-45.6)43.0 (42.8-43.3)<.001
 75-84 y, % (95% CI)22.8 (22.6-22.9)24.1 (23.9-24.3)22.3 (22.1-22.5)<.001
 ≥ 85 y, % (95% CI)11.0 (10.8-11.1)11.5 (11.3-11.7)10.8 (10.6-11.0)<.001
Male, % (95% CI)42.4 (42.2-42.6)41.6 (41.4-41.9)42.7 (42.4-42.9)<.001
Race
 Black, % (95% CI)12.0 (11.7-12.3)8.5 (8.1-9.0)13.2 (12.9-13.6)<.001
 White, % (95% CI)80.1 (79.7-80.5)84.3 (83.7-84.9)78.6 (78.2-79.1)<.001
 Other, % (95% CI)7.9 (7.6-8.1)7.2 (6.8-7.6)8.1 (7.8-8.4)<.001
Dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, % (95% CI)d21.7 (21.4-22.0)17.0 (16.6-17.5)23.4 (23.0-23.8)<.001
HCC score attributed in baseline year, mean (95% CI)e1.15 (1.15-1.16)1.12 (1.11-1.13)1.16 (1.16-1.17)<.001
Chronic conditions as of baseline yearf
 Alzheimer disease and related dementia, % (95% CI)8.3 (8.1-8.4)7.7 (7.5-7.9)8.4 (8.3-8.6)<.001
 Cancer, % (95% CI)7.0 (7.0-7.1)7.6 (7.5-7.7)6.8 (6.7-6.9)<.001
 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, % (95% CI)11.5 (11.4-11.7)10.8 (10.7-11.0)11.8 (11.6-12.0)<.001
 Chronic kidney disease, % (95% CI)16.9 (16.7-17.1)16.8 (16.6-17.1)16.9 (16.7-17.1).665
 Congestive heart failure, % (95% CI)12.7 (12.5-12.8)11.4 (11.2-11.6)13.1 (12.9-13.3)<.001
 Diabetes, % (95% CI)27.9 (27.7-28.1)26.3 (26.1-26.6)28.4 (28.2-28.7)<.001
Medicare FFS expenditures and service use for Medicare FFS beneficiaries attributed to practice at baseline
Medicare expenditures per beneficiary ($/mo), median (IQR)g,h878 (717-1,088)858 (744-1,004)888 (702-1,126)<.001
Weighted Medicare expenditures per beneficiary ($/mo), median (IQR)g,h875 (765-1,020)855 (761-976)895 (771-1,067)<.001
Acute care stays per 1,000 beneficiaries (annualized), median (IQR)289 (220-374)282 (233-346)292 (213-388).007
ED visits per 1,000 beneficiaries (annualized), median (IQR)506 (368-721)481 (374-638)518 (364-762)<.001
Primary care (ambulatory) visits per 1,000 beneficiaries (annualized), median (IQR)4,518 (3,724-5,517)4,471 (3,927-5,161)4,539 (3,623-5,683).592
Percentage of discharges for which beneficiary had a 14-day follow-up visit after hospitalization, median (IQR)i67.6 (59.6-74.8)69.1 (63.0-74.4)66.7 (57.7-75.0)<.001
  • CMS = Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; CPC+ = Comprehensive Primary Care Plus; ED = emergency department; FFS = fee for service; HCC = hierarchical condition category; IQR = interquartile range.

  • Note: Primary care practices include all practices with ≥ 1 practitioner (defined as a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) with a specialty of primary care (defined as family practice, general practice, geriatrics, or internal medicine). The 2018 starters represent 11% of all practices, 7% of applicants, and 5% of participants.

  • Sources: Mathematica’s analysis of data on the number, characteristics, and service use and spending of attributed Medicare beneficiaries based on Medicare Enrollment Database and claims data.

  • a Table includes 16,883 of the 19,809 primary care practices in the 2017 and 2018 regions because we excluded 2,926 practices (15%) that had no attributed Medicare FFS beneficiaries in the baseline year.

  • b A total of 4,599 practices applied for CPC+. The number of applicants in this table (4,346) is fewer because some applicants could not be identified in the SK&A data, and some applicants had no attributed Medicare FFS beneficiaries at baseline.

  • c The baseline year is 2016 for the 2017 starters and 2017 for the 2018 starters.

  • d Calculated as the percentage of beneficiaries attributed to a practice in the baseline year who were dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in the quarter before the start of the baseline year.

  • e The HCC score is based on beneficiaries’ diagnoses in 2015 (for 2017 starters) or 2016 (for 2018 starters).

  • f The lookback periods for the chronic conditions are 3 years before the baseline year for Alzheimer and related dementia, 1 year before the baseline year for cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 2 years before the baseline year for chronic kidney disease, congestive heart failure, and diabetes.

  • g We deflated the 2017 (baseline) mean and median per beneficiary per month expenditures for the practices in the 2018 CPC+ regions by the 0.9% Medicare inflation rate (CMS Office of the Actuary, personal communication, May 6, 2019).

  • h For the calculation of the weighted (mean/median) monthly Medicare expenditures per beneficiary, the practice-level expenditure variable (mean/median) is weighted by the number of beneficiaries attributed to the practice, so that practices with more attributed beneficiaries get a greater weight. The means and medians for all of the other characteristics in the table are unweighted, meaning that each practice is treated equally, regardless of its size.

  • i This measure was calculated for beneficiaries attributed in the first quarter of the baseline year.