August 28, 2009

Medicare Physician Services: Utilization Trends Indicate Sustained Beneficiary Access with High and Growing Levels of Service in Some Areas of the Nation

GAO conducted an experiment to analyze the results of high spending for certain physician practices. With increased spending each year, the long-term sustainability of Medicare is in jeopardy. This article focuses on beneficiaries' access to and characteristics of overutilization of physician services that has created an influx of patients. Data for this analysis was collected from CMS, Medicare physician claims for services, the Health Resources and Services Administration's Area Resource File, and the U.S. Census Bureau.