Assessment of Overuse of Medical Tests and Treatments at US Hospitals Using Medicare Claims

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Overuse of health care services exposes patients to unnecessary risk of harm and costs. Distinguishing patterns of overuse among hospitals requires hospital-level measures across multiple services. OBJECTIVE To describe characteristics of hospitals associated with overuse of health care services in the US. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective cross-sectional analysis used Medicare fee-for-service claims data for beneficiaries older than 65 years from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017, with a lookback of 1 year. Inpatient and outpatient services were included, and services offered at specialty and federal hospitals were excluded. Patients were from hospitals wit..