Physician practices that serve higher proportions of high-need patients have lower health care costs, fewer hospital admissions, and fewer emergency room visits than physician practices that serve lower proportions of high-need patients.
This was the conclusion of researchers who analyzed four years of claims data for high-needs patients in Michigan.
The study also found some evidence that smaller medical practices are more effective in serving high-need patients than larger practices.
The study, “Outcomes For High-Needs Patients: Practices With A Higher Proportion Of These Patients Have An Edge,” was supported by the Commonwealth Fund, and is summarized by the fund here. It was published here in the journal Health Affairs.