141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

292888
Rural-urban differences in receipt of home health care services among Medicare beneficiaries with cerebrovascular disease

Monday, November 4, 2013

Grishma Patel Bhavsar, MPH , Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Medha V. Vyavaharkar, PhD, MPH, MD , South Carolina Rural Health Research Center, Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina., Columbia, SC
Kevin Bennett, PhD , Family & Preventive Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC
Purpose:This study examines the rural-urban differences in the distribution and duration of home health (HH) services and type of service providers among Medicare beneficiaries with cerebrovascular disease (CVD).

Method:A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data obtained from the CMS Research Data Center linked with data drawn from the Area Resource File. Wald chi-square tests (alpha=.05) were conducted to test differences between the types of services (CVD associated vs. non-associated), duration of services (average number of HH visits per claim), and their providers by rurality.

Results:More HH service claims were associated with CVD in rural areas compared to urban areas (18.0% v 17.0%, p=0.04). Urban beneficiaries had an average of 21.4 visits per claim, while rural beneficiaries had 17.9 visits (p<0.0001). In urban counties, physical therapists provided a larger proportion of HH services (72.9% v 67.2%, p<0.0001), while in rural counties, licensed practical nurses (LPN) or registered nurses (RN) provided a greater proportion of HH services (29.0 v 23.8%, p<0.0001).

Conclusion:Rural-urban disparities were evident in types and duration of HH services and service providers among Medicare beneficiaries with CVD. While rural beneficiaries with CVD had more claims associated with their condition, the duration of services was less compared to their urban peers. Physical therapists were the major service providers in urban counties, while LPNs and RNs were the major service providers in rural counties. These findings indicate rural residents received a lower level of service than their urban counterparts. Policymakers should consider addressing this disparity via provider placement services.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Compare the types of home health services and the types of providers who provide these services among Medicare beneficiaries with cerebrovascular disease living in rural vs. urban counties.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a research associate for several years and am getting a PhD in health services policy & management. I am currently conducting research on several home health services projects. This presentation is a portion of one of the projects I am working on.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.