Association of Medicare Spending With Subspecialty Consultation for Elderly Hospitalized Adults

Key Points Question Does inpatient consultative care by medical subspecialists represent a potential opportunity for cost savings during an episode of hospitalization for nonsurgical conditions? Findings In this cross-sectional study of 735 627 hospital discharges among Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older extrapolated to the population of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, substantial variation in Medicare payments for medicine subspecialty consultations suggested inefficiencies. Subspecialty consultative care accounted for more than $1.3 billion dollars of Medicare spending in 2014. Meaning Although whether patients have improved outcomes as a result of these consultations remains unclear, efforts to constrain the unnecessary use of consultative care during a hospitalization represent a potential area for savings.