Cancer surgery at high-quality hospital less likely under Medicare Advantage: Study

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were less likely to undergo cancer surgery at a high-quality hospital compared with those in traditional Medicare, according to a study published Oct. 15 in JAMA Surgery. 

Researchers at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital and Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan analyzed Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data of 567,770 Medicare beneficiaries undergoing cancer surgery between Jan. 1, 2016, and Nov. 30, 2022.

Here are five things to know from the study:

1. Among all beneficiaries included in the study, 61.9% were enrolled in traditional Medicare and 38.1% in Medicare Advantage.
   
   
2. Medicare Advantage enrollment increased from 32% in 2016 to 46% in 2022 among all beneficiaries.
   
   
3. Medicare Advantage enrollees across all cancer types were more likely to be from socially vulnerable areas, have more comorbidities and undergo surgery at nonteaching hospitals compared with traditional Medicare beneficiaries.
   
   
4. Here are the predicted probabilities of Medicare beneficiaries receiving cancer surgery at a high-quality hospital:

5. “These findings suggest that current MA plan networks may limit access to optimal surgical care, raising concerns about the adequacy of cancer care delivery under privatized Medicare,” the study authors wrote. 

Read the full study here.