Assessment of Differences in Inpatient Rehabilitation Services for Length of Stay and Health Outcomes Between US Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries

Key Points Question Do Medicare Advantage beneficiaries experience different care services and outcomes from inpatient rehabilitation facilities than traditional Medicare beneficiaries do? Findings In this multiyear cross-sectional study of more than 1 million inpatient rehabilitation facility admissions (473 017 for stroke, 323 029 for hip fracture, and 232 424 for joint replacement), Medicare Advantage beneficiaries had a shorter mean length of stay (1.15% shorter for stroke and 0.85% shorter for hip fracture) and a greater likelihood of returning to the community (3.0% for stroke and 5.0% for hip fracture) than did traditional Medicare beneficiaries, without substantially compromising their functional improvements. Meaning These findings suggest that policy makers may consider using strategies in managed care to further improve care quality and control costs.