Medicare Advantage Use Continued to Rise in 2019

Between Q4 2018 and Q4 2019, Medicare Advantage use grew by 4%, according to data released by HME sales platform PlayMaker Health. The update also covers Home Health and Hospice.

• By David Kopf
• Jul 23, 2020

The volume of people using Medicare Advantage (MA) between Q4 2018 and Q4 2019 hit a rate of 34 percent of Medicare, marking a 4 percent increase over the prior period, according to new data released by post-acute sales platform company PlayMaker Health.

“This upward trend is expected to continue through 2020, in part, due to the highest number of plan options for the average beneficiary in a decade,” PlayMaker noted in a public statement on its Q4 2019 Post-Acute Market Data Update.

The report also provided data on home health and hospice care. Where home health was concerned, there was a 2.45 percent year-over-year drop in national home health admission.

“Similar to Q3 2019, the benchmarks continue to validate transition from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage and demonstrate the ongoing enrollment increase in Medicare Advantage utilization,” PlayMaker noted.

In terms of Patient-Driven Groupings Model admissions, 60 percent of home health referrals nationwide came from community sources, while 40 percent of referrals originated from institutional sources.

Looking at hospice care, the country saw a 6 percent expansion in hospice admissions, based on volume, and the average length of hospice stay was 56 days, with a median of 16 days.

PlayMaker’s findings result from the company’s launch of its Market Insights for home health and hospice agencies.

“The launch of Market Insights is the direct result of client feedback and market demand,” said Gregg Boyle, CEO of PlayMaker Health. “As agencies begin to plan beyond the pandemic, they need in-depth data visibility and efficient sales and marketing processes to maintain strong referral relationships and accelerate opportunities.”