In this paper we examine empirically the effect of integration on Medicare payment and rehospitalization. We use 2005-2013 data on Medicare beneficiaries receiving PAC in the U.S. to examine integration between hospitals and the two most common post-acute care settings: skilled nursing...

Since 2001, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has calculated and disseminated various quality measures for Medicare Advantage (MA) contracts. The rating system evolved over the 2000s, culminating in an overall contract star rating system (from one to five stars) in 2009. In...