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Objective: To compare within-country variation of health care utilization and spending of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and diabetes across countries. Data Sources: Patient-level linked data sources compiled by the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes, and Needs in Care across nine countries: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. Data Collection Methods: Patients were identified in routine hospital data with a primary diagnosis of CHF and a secondary diagnosis of diabetes in 2015/2016. Study Design: We calculated the care consumption of patients after a hospital admission over a year across the care pathway-ranging from primary care to home health nursing care. To compare the distribution of care consumption in each country, we use Gini coefficients, Lorenz curves, and female-male ratios for eight utilization and spending measures. Principal Findings: In all countries, rehabilitation and home nursing care were highly concentrated in the top decile of patients, while the number of drug prescriptions were more uniformly distributed. On average, the Gini coefficient for drug consumption is about 0.30 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.27-0.36), while it is, 0.50 (0.45-0.56) for primary care visits, and more than 0.75 (0.81-0.92) for rehabilitation use and nurse visits at home (0.78; 0.62-0.9). Variations in spending were more pronounced than in utilization. Compared to men, women spend more days at initial hospital admission (+5%, 1.01-1.06), have a higher number of prescriptions (+7%, 1.05-1.09), and substantially more rehabilitation and home care (+20% to 35%, 0.79-1.6, 0.99-1.64), but have fewer visits to specialists (-10%; 0.84-0.97). Conclusions: Distribution of health care consumption in different settings varies within countries, but there are also some common treatment patterns across all countries. Clinicians and policy makers need to look into these differences in care utilization by sex and care setting to determine whether they are justified or indicate suboptimal care. KEYWORDS care pathways, diabetes, gender, heart failure, inequalities, international comparisons, multimorbidity, What is known on this topic * Patients with similar health needs are treated very differently within countries. * Most cross-national studies examine variations in care use and resources for [...]

Objective: To compare countries' health care needs by segmenting populations into a set of needs-based health states. Data sources: We used seven waves of the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) panel survey data. Study design: We developed the Cross-Country Simple Segmentation Tool (CCSST), a validated clinician-administered instrument for categorizing older individuals by distinct, homogeneous health and related social service needs. Using clinical indicators, self-reported physician diagnosis of chronic disease, and performance-based tests conducted during the survey interview, individuals were assigned to 1-5 global impressions (Gi) segments and assessed for having any of the four identifiable complicating factors (CFs). We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the risk of mortality by segment. First, we show the segmentation cross-sectionally to assess cross-country differences in the fraction of individuals with different levels of medical needs. Second, we compare the differences in the rate at which individuals transition between those levels and death. Data collection/extraction methods: We segmented 270,208 observations (from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland) from 96,396 individuals into GI and CF categories. Principal findings: The CCSST is a valid tool for segmenting populations into needsbased states, showing Switzerland with the lowest fraction of individuals in high medical needs segments, followed by Denmark and Sweden, and Poland with the highest fraction, followed by Italy and Israel. Comparing hazard ratios of transitioning between health states may help identify country-specific areas for analysis of ecological and cultural risk factors. Conclusions: The CCSST is an innovative tool for aggregate cross-country comparisons of both health needs and transitions between them. A cross-country comparison gives policy makers an effective means of comparing national health system performance and provides targeted guidance on how to identify strategies for curbing the rise of high-need, high-cost patients. KEYWORDS access/demand/utilization of services, chronic disease, comparative health systems/international health, geriatrics, health care organizations and systems, integrated delivery systems, modeling: multi-level, survey research and questionnaire design What is known on this topic * Population segmentation is a promising approach for health care resource planning and policy making. * A number of needs-based segmentation approaches exist, which either are conceptual or use utilization-based metrics. * Needs-based segmentation studies are limited to regional data sources. What this study adds * The Cross-Country Simple Segmentation Tool (CCSST) segments individuals into five ordinal medical complexity categories, called 'Global Impressions' (Gl) segments, and identifies the presence of four patient characteristics, which, if present, would increase the complexity of care, called 'Complicating Factors' (CFs). * The CCSST is applied to the SHARE panel survey dataset and allows for comparisons across countries. * Our approach helps policy makers identify country-specific areas of analysis of services and factors that may confound transition rates., 1 | INTRODUCTION Chronic conditions have been called 'the healthcare challenge of this century' by the World Health Organization. (1) The prevalence of patients with numerous and complex health care [...]

Objective: To identify and explore differences in spending and utilization of key health services at the end of life among hip fracture patients across seven developed countries. Data Sources: Individual-level claims data from the inpatient and outpatient health care sectors compiled by the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes, and Needs in Care (ICCONIC). Study Design: We retrospectively analyzed utilization and spending from acute hospital care, emergency department, outpatient primary care and specialty physician visits, and outpatient drugs. Patterns of spending and utilization were compared in the last 30, 90, and 180 days across Australia, Canada, England, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States. We employed linear regression models to measure age- and sex-specific effects within and across countries. In addition, we analyzed hospital-centricity, that is, the days spent in hospital and site of death. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: We identified patients who sustained a hip fracture in 2016 and died within 12 months from date of admission. Principal Findings: Resource use, costs, and the proportion of deaths in hospital showed large variability being high in England and Spain, while low in New Zealand. Days in hospital significantly decreased with increasing age in Canada, Germany, Spain, and the United States. Hospital spending near date of death was significantly lower for women in Canada, Germany, and the United States. The age gradient and the sex effect were less pronounced in utilization and spending of emergency care, outpatient care, and drugs. Conclusions: Across seven countries, we find important variations in end-of-life care for patients who sustained a hip fracture, with some differences explained by sex and age. Our work sheds important insights that may help ongoing health policy discussions on equity, efficiency, and reimbursement in health care systems. KEYWORDS administrative data, age inequalities, end-of-life care, gender inequalities, health care spending, health care utilization, international comparison, What is known on this topic * Countries follow different approaches to providing end-of-life care. * Health care spending and utilization increases near death. * International studies of health systems [...]

Objective: The objectives of this study are to compare the relative use of different postacute care settings in different countries and to compare three important outcomes as follows: total expenditure, total days of care in different care settings, and overall longevity over a 1-year period following a hip fracture. Data Sources: We used administrative data from hospitals, institutional and homebased long-term care (LTC), physician visits, and medications compiled by the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes, and Needs in Care (ICCONIC) from five countries as follows: Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Data Extraction Methods: Data were extracted from existing administrative data systems in each participating country. Study Design: This is a retrospective cohort study of all individuals admitted to acute care for hip fracture. Descriptive comparisons were used to examine aggregate institutional and home-based postacute care. Care trajectories were created to track sequential care settings after acute-care discharge through institutional and communitybased care in three countries where detailed information allowed. Comparisons in patient characteristics, utilization, and costs were made across these trajectories and countries. Principal Findings: Across five countries with complete LTC data, we found notable variations with Germany having the highest days of home-based services with relatively low costs, while Sweden incurred the highest overall expenditures. Comparisons of trajectories found that France had the highest use of inpatient rehabilitation. Germany was most likely to discharge hip fracture patients to home. Over 365 days, France averaged the highest number of days in institution with 104, Canada followed at 94, and Germany had just 87 days of institutional care on average. Conclusion: In this comparison of LTC services following a hip fracture, we found international differences in total use of institutional and noninstitutional care, longevity, and total expenditures. There exist opportunities to organize postacute care differently to maximize independence and mitigate costs. KEYWORDS care trajectories, hip fracture, international comparison, long-term care, What is known about this topic * International comparisons of long-term care mostly rely on global comparisons of national expenditure. * Little comparative work has examined variations in the care [...]

Objective: This study explores differences in spending and utilization of health care services for an older person with frailty before and after a hip fracture. Data Sources: We used individual-level patient data from five care settings. Study Design: We compared utilization and spending of an older person aged older than 65 years for 365 days before and after a hip fracture across 11 countries and five domains of care as follows: acute hospital care, primary care, outpatient specialty care, post-acute rehabilitative care, and outpatient drugs. Utilization and spending were age and sex standardized.. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: The data were compiled by the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes, and Needs in Care (ICCONIC) across 11 countries as follows: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Principal Findings: The sample ranged from 1859 patients in Spain to 42,849 in France. Mean age ranged from 81.2 in Switzerland to 84.7 in Australia. The majority of patients across countries were female. Relative to other countries, the United States had the lowest inpatient length of stay (11.3), but the highest number of days were spent in post-acute care rehab (100.7) and, on average, had more visits to specialist providers (6.8 per year) than primary care providers (4.0 per year). Across almost all sectors, the United States spent more per person than other countries per unit ($13,622 per hospitalization, $233 per primary care visit, $386 per MD specialist visit). Patients also had high expenditures in the year prior to the hip fracture, mostly concentrated in the inpatient setting. Conclusion: Across 11 high-income countries, there is substantial variation in health care spending and utilization for an older person with frailty, both before and after a hip fracture. The United States is the most expensive country due to high prices and above average utilization of post-acute rehab care. KEYWORDS health systems, hip fracture, international comparisons, What is known on this topic * Health systems spend different amounts caring for patients. * Older persons with frailty are more likely to incur high levels of spending as [...]

Objective: To establish a methodological approach to compare two high-need, highcost (HNHC) patient personas internationally. Data sources: Linked individual-level administrative data from the inpatient and outpatient sectors compiled by the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes, and Needs in Care (ICCONIC) across 11 countries: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Study design: We outline a methodological approach to identify HNHC patient types for international comparisons that reflect complex, priority populations defined by the National Academy of Medicine. We define two patient profiles using accessible patient-level datasets linked across different domains of care-hospital care, primary care, outpatient specialty care, post-acute rehabilitative care, long-term care, homehealth care, and outpatient drugs. The personas include a frail older adult with a hip fracture with subsequent hip replacement and an older person with complex multimorbidity, including heart failure and diabetes. We demonstrate their comparability by examining the characteristics and clinical diagnoses captured across countries. Data collection/extraction methods: Data collected by ICCONIC partners. Principal findings: Across 11 countries, the identification of HNHC patient personas was feasible to examine variations in healthcare utilization, spending, and patient outcomes. The ability of countries to examine linked, individual-level data varied, with the Netherlands, Canada, and Germany able to comprehensively examine care across all seven domains, whereas other countries such as England, Switzerland, and New Zealand were more limited. All countries were able to identify a hip fracture persona and a heart failure persona. Patient characteristics were reassuringly similar across countries. Conclusion: Although there are cross-country differences in the availability and structure of data sources, countries had the ability to effectively identify comparable HNHC personas for international study. This work serves as the methodological paper for six accompanying papers examining differences in spending, utilization, and outcomes for these personas across countries. KEYWORDS international comparison, vignettes, What is known on this topic * International comparisons of health systems mostly rely on comparisons of the inpatient setting. * Little comparative work examines patterns of spending and utilization [...]

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore cross-country differences in spending and utilization across different domains of care for a multimorbid persona with heart failure and diabetes. Data Sources: We used individual-level administrative claims or registry data from inpatient and outpatient health care sectors compiled by the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes, and Needs in Care (ICCONIC) across 11 countries: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States (US). Data Collection/Extraction Methods: Data collected by ICCONIC partners. Study Design: We retrospectively analyzed age-sex standardized utilization and spending of an older person (65-90 years) hospitalized with a heart failure exacerbation and a secondary diagnosis of diabetes across five domains of care: hospital care, primary care, outpatient specialty care, post-acute rehabilitative care, and outpatient drugs. Principal Findings: Sample sizes ranged from n = 1270 in Spain to n = 21,803 in the United States. Mean age (standard deviation [SD]) ranged from 76.2 (5.6) in the Netherlands to 80.3 (6.8) in Sweden. We observed substantial variation in spending and utilization across care settings. On average, England spent $10,956 per person in hospital care while the United States spent $30,877. The United States had a shorter length of stay over the year (18.9 days) compared to France (32.9) and Germany (33.4). The United States spent more days in facility-based rehabilitative care than other countries. Australia spent $421 per person in primary care, while Spain (Aragon) spent $1557. The United States and Canada had proportionately more visits to specialist providers than primary care providers. Across almost all sectors, the United States spent more than other countries, suggesting higher prices per unit. Conclusion: Across 11 countries, there is substantial variation in health care spending and utilization for a complex multimorbid persona with heart failure and diabetes. Drivers of spending vary across countries, with the United States being the most expensive country due to high prices and higher use of facility-based rehabilitative care. KEYWORDS diabetes, health care spending, heart failure, high-cost patients, high need, international comparison, What is known on this topic * Health systems are structured and financed differently. * Patients with complex multimorbidity are more susceptible to poor quality of care and incur higher [...]

Objective: This study explores variations in outcomes of care for two types of patient personas-an older frail person recovering from a hip fracture and a multimorbid older patient with congestive heart failure (CHF) and diabetes. Data Sources: We used individual-level patient data from 11 health systems. Study Design: We compared inpatient mortality, mortality, and readmission rates at 30, 90, and 365 days. For the hip fracture persona, we also calculated time to surgery. Outcomes were standardized by age and sex. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: Data was compiled by the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes and Needs in Care across 11 countries for the years 2016-2017 (or nearest): Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Principal Findings: The hip sample across ranged from 1859 patients in Aragon, Spain, to 42,849 in France. Mean age ranged from 81.2 in Switzerland to 84.7 in Australia, and the majority of hip patients across countries were female. The congestive heart failure (CHF) sample ranged from 742 patients in England to 21,803 in the United States. Mean age ranged from 77.2 in the United States to 80.3 in Sweden, and the majority of CHF patients were males. Average in-hospital mortality across countries was 4.1%. for the hip persona and 6.3% for the CHF persona. At the year mark, the mean mortality across all countries was 25.3% for the hip persona and 32.7% for CHF persona. Across both patient types, England reported the highest mortality at 1 year followed by the United States. Readmission rates for all periods were higher for the CHF persona than the hip persona. At 30 days, the average readmission rate for the hip persona was 13.8% and 27.6% for the CHF persona. Conclusion: Across 11 countries, there are meaningful differences in health system outcomes for two types of patients. KEYWORDS health systems, mortality, readmissions, What is known on this topic * Patient outcomes such as mortality and readmissions are commonly used as measures of performance of heatlh systems. * There are few sources of [...]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of partisan political control on financial performance, structure, and outcomes of for-profit and not-for-profit US nursing homes.Data Sources/Study Setting: Nineteen-year panel (1996-2014) of state election outcomes, financial performance data from nursing home cost reports, operational and aggregate resident characteristics from OSCAR of 13 737 nursing homes.Study Design: A linear panel model was estimated to identify the effect of Democratic and Republican political control on next year's outcomes. Nursing home outcomes were defined as yearly facility revenues, expenses, and profits; the number of Medicaid, Medicare, and private-pay residents; staffing levels; and selected resident outcomes.Principal Findings: Democratic political control leads to an increase in financial flows to for-profit nursing homes, boosting profits without producing observable improvements in resident outcomes. Republican political control leads to lower revenues and profits of for-profit nursing homes. A shift from Medicaid to more profitable private-pay residents following Republican political control is observed for all nursing homes. Financial performance of not-for-profit nursing homes is not significantly affected by changes in political control.Conclusion: Political control of the two legislative chambers--but not of the governorship--shapes the structure of the nursing home industry as seen in provider behavior.KEYWORDSMedicaid, political control, public spending, 1 | INTRODUCTIONUS health care expenditures represent a substantial portion of public spending and are therefore likely to be affected by partisan political control. At the federal level, for example, [...]