Rural/Urban Differences in Inpatient Related Costs and Use among Medicare Beneficiaries.

摘要

A recent Institute of Medicine report suggests that care received after a hospitalization is a primary driver of regional variation in health care costs in the United States.1 While evidence suggests that health care utilization varies by rural setting,2 it is unknown how pre- and post-hospital admission costs and use differ between Medicare beneficiaries admitted to rural and urban hospitals. For example, those discharged from urban hospitals may be more likely to receive post-acute care from specialists or other more expensive providers, while those discharged from a rural hospital may not have access to specialist care, or they may use less follow-up care. There is also mixed evidence regarding potential differences in readmission rates in rural and urban settings.