Title
Nursing Home Residents and Enrollment in Medicare Part D.
UMMS Affiliation
Meyers Primary Care Institute; Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Clinical and Population Health Research Program
Publication Date
2009-08-21
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Medicare Part D; Nursing Homes; Prescription Drugs
Disciplines
Health Services Research | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of Medicare Part D in the nursing home (NH) setting.
DESIGN: A population-based study using 2005/06 prescription dispensing records, Poisson regressions with generalized estimating equations, and interrupted times series estimation with segmented regression methods.
SETTING: Nursing Homes.
PARTICIPANTS: A nationwide sample of long-stay Medicare enrollees in NHs (N=861,082).
MEASUREMENTS: Probability of Part D enrollment, changes in source of drug payments, changes in average number of monthly prescriptions dispensed per resident.
RESULTS: In 2006, 81.0% of NH residents were enrolled in Part D, 16.1% had other drug coverage, and 3.0% (n=11,000) remained without drug coverage, which was the same rate of no drug coverage as in 2005. NH residents who did not enroll in Part D were the oldest (relative risk (RR)=0.82, P<.001), had no drug coverage in 2005 (RR=0.84, P<.001), and had high comorbidity burden (RR=0.94, P<.001). The proportion of prescription drugs paid out of pocket decreased from 11.0% in 2005 to 8.1% in 2006 (P<.001). Average monthly prescription use per resident in 2006 decreased by half a prescription from 2005 levels (9.6 vs 10.1, P=.003).
CONCLUSION: Part D decreased some out-of-pocket drug costs but did not expand drug coverage in the NH population or reach some vulnerable segments. Part D was also associated with some disruption in NH drug use, especially right after implementation.
Source
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009 Aug 21.
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Related Resources
PubMed ID
19702612
Repository Citation
Briesacher, Becky A.; Soumerai, Stephen B.; Field, Terry S.; Fouayzi, Hassan; and Gurwitz, Jerry H., "Nursing Home Residents and Enrollment in Medicare Part D." (2009). Meyers Primary Care Institute Publications and Presentations. 25.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/meyers_pp/25
