How Big is the Problem of Low-Value Health Care Service Use AARP Public Policy Institute

How Big is the Problem of Low-Value Health Care Service Use

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(PDF) Related This Spotlight describes the use of low-value health care services by private plan enrollees age 50+. A number of studies have reported widespread use of low-value health care services that amount to billions of wasted dollars. Use of these services is considered clinically inappropriate in most cases, such as diagnostic imaging for a simple headache. In an effort to understand the scope of the problem, we studied the use of 16 low-value services, including cancer screening tests, diagnostic imaging, and invasive procedures from 2009 to 2014. This PPI Spotlight by Keith Lind summarizes our findings, which first appeared in the journal , and provides a rough estimate for the extent of spending associated with these 16 low-value services. Related blogs by Elizabeth Carter of AARP’s Public Policy Institute, , and Margot Walthall and Darshak Sanghavi of OptumLabs, Provide complementary perspectives on the topic of low-value services Among the Spotlight highlights: In 2014, the use of the 16 low-value health care services we looked at accounted for roughly 1.5% (about $5.4 billion) of health care spending for enrollees age 50+ in commercial insurance plans and enrollees age 65+ in Medicare Advantage plans. We compared our findings with results from other studies that have reached similar conclusions. Unfortunately, the solution to reducing low-value care is hardly straightforward because services that are deemed low value in many cases may actually be of high value in some cases, depending on the clinical circumstances.

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A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers Aging Demographics

One in Three Americans is Now 50 or Older

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