Per-patient spending increases when primary care providers are part of large health systems, a study published Sept. 1 in JAMA Health Forum found.
The study examined claims data from 2013 to 2017 for 4 million commercially insured patients in Massachusetts.
Patients whose primary care providers were integrated with large health systems had 22.64 percent higher rates of specialist visits than those who were not in integrated systems. Average annual healthcare costs were 6.26 percent higher among those whose primary care providers were parts of large systems than the comparison group, an increase of $356.67 per patient per year.
When health systems integrated with primary care providers, the number of emergency visits per patient year increased by 14.19 percent, and hospitalizations per patient year increased by 22.36 percent.
There was no difference in hospital readmission outcomes, the study found.
The study's results suggest when their primary care providers are integrated with large health systems, patients are more likely to be steered to specialist care within the same system, the authors wrote. Patients could benefit from more coordinated care in this model, the authors wrote.
"It is also possible that the overall increase in specialist visits was due to wider access to a large health system with specialists. However, the finding of no change in patient readmissions might suggest limited gains from increased coordination," the authors concluded.
The study was written by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. Read the full study here.