Evaluation of the Evercare Demonstration Program Final Report

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services tested the Evercare Medicare model in a demonstration project. The evaluation report was prepared by Robert L. Kane, M.D., of the school of Public Health, University of Minnesota.

During the pilot, the control group was nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized as the Evercare enrollees. The rate of emergency room was nearly twice as high for the control group. The lower rate of hospitalization and emergency use was linked to reduced occurrence of adverse events due to the presence and availability of nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants did not appear to be substituting for physician visits. While the pilot was operated on a capitated basis, so a direct comparison with fee-for-service Medicare was not possible, Dr. Kane estimated the pilot model saved hospital costs.