Below are five recent studies on Medicare spending that Becker's Hospital Review has covered in the past two months.
- Medicare Part D’s share of annual spending on "ultra-expensive" drugs increased by 1,170 percent between 2012 and 2018, largely because more beneficiaries were prescribed such drugs during this time period, according to research published in Health Affairs. Click here to read more about the study.
- Medicare spending on lab and imaging services increases after a physician practice becomes part of a hospital or health system, according to research published in Health Affairs. Click here to read more about the study.
- Medicare reimbursement covers less than two-thirds of air medical transport costs, according to a report prepared for the Association of Air Medical Services. Click here to read more about the study.
- Biogen's Alzeheimer's drug Aduhelm could single-handedly represent 1 percent of all national healthcare expenditures by the mid-2020's, according to a report released by research nonprofit Altarum. Click here to read more about the study.
- One-third of Medicare Part D costs in 2016 were for drugs that did not undergo a cost-effectiveness analysis, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Click here to read more about the study.