A new report shows that a year after the Act’s expansion provisions took effect, physicians have not experienced a sharp increase in visits by new or sick patients.
The report was prepared by Athenahealth, Inc., which provides management software systems to medical practices, and was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It draws on data from 15,700 physician offices.
Key findings include:
- New patient volume did not increase significantly during 2014. In fact, new patient visits to primary increased very slightly, and were no more complex than those in 2013.
- The has decreased the overall proportion patients receiving in physician offices, especially in expansion states.
- The number diagnoses patient visit also did not increase sharply compared to the previous year’s data.
“Contrary to what many anticipated, physician rooms aren’t being flooded by sicker-than-average newly patients,” said
Kathy Hempstead, who directs issues at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “So far, the increase in demand is moderate, and new patients do not appear to differ much from established patients in terms their chronic conditions and use services.”
Other findings include:
- New patients are less likely to be than they were as recently as a year ago. expansion has bolstered for the previously , as well as for the working poor. patient visits have fallen dramatically in expansion states. visits have also fallen in non-expansion states, although not as sharply, possibly because increased publicity may have drawn those qualified for under the existing laws to apply.
- in expansion states are seeing more patients, which reflects the growing number beneficiaries. Those in non-expansion states are receiving more visits from commercially- patients, which may reflect the success exchanges there.
- A but growing number commercially patients switched to in expansion states, possibly because ’s lower out--pocket costs are attractive to low income workers compared to the expense commercial .
The report is available online.