Differences in High‐ and Low‐Value Cardiovascular Testing by Health Insurance Provider

Abstract

Background Quality of care incentives and reimbursements for cardiovascular testing differ between insurance providers. We hypothesized that there are differences in the use of guideline‐concordant testing between Medicaid versus commercial insurance patients <65 years, and between Medicare Advantage versus Medicare fee‐for‐service patients ≥65 years. Methods and Results Using data from the Colorado All‐Payer Claims Database from 2015 to 2018, we identified patients eligible to receive a high‐value test recommended by guidelines: assessment of left ventricular function among patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction or incident heart failure, or a low‐value test that provides minimal patient benefit: stress testing prior to low‐risk surgery or routine stress testing within 2 years of percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Among 145 616 eligible patients, 37% had fee‐for‐service Medicare, 18% Medicare Advantage, 22% Medicaid, and 23% commercial insurance. Using multilevel logistic regression models adjusted for patient characteristics, Medicaid patients were less likely to receive high‐value testing for acute myocardial infarction (odds ratio [OR], 0.84 [0.73–0.98]; P =0.03) and heart failure (OR, 0.59 [0.51–0.70]; P <0.01) compared with commercially insured patients. Medicare Advantage patients were more likely to receive high‐value testing for acute myocardial infarction (OR, 1.35 [1.15–1.59]; P <0.01) and less likely to receive low‐value testing after percutaneous coronary intervention/ coronary artery bypass graft (OR, 0.63 [0.55–0.72]; P <0.01) compared with Medicare fee‐for‐service patients. Conclusions Guideline‐concordant testing was less likely to occur among patients with Medicaid compared with commercial insurance, and more likely to occur among patients with Medicare Advantage compared with fee‐for‐service Medicare. Insurance plan features may provide valuable targets to improve guideline‐concordant testing.