Air Ambulances: 10-Year Trends in Cost and Use
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John Hargraves, MPP
Director of Data Strategy/Senior Researcher
Aaron Bloschichak, MPH
Research Assistant
January 15, 2020
HCCI’s Mission
HCCI’s mission is to
get to the heart
of the key issues impacting
the U.S. health care system — by using the best data to get the
best answers.
Our values are simple:
Health care claims data should be accessible to all those
who have important questions to ask of it.
Health care information should be transparent and easy to
understand.
All stakeholders in the health care system can drive
improvements in quality and value with robust analytics.
HCCI reports cost trends and facilitates informed
debate about the less-
understood commercially-insured population
HCCI Data Holdings
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National Qualified Entity (QE)
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Years: 2012-2017
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100% Parts A & B & D
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HCCI Air Ambulance Study
Air ambulances - either fixed wing (airplane) or rotary wing (helicopter)
aircraft – are an essential life-saving part of our health care system,
transporting people in time-sensitive medical situations
Air ambulances have become a frequent
topic in the news due to their
high cost
and
propensity to lead to
surprise bills
.
Lots of stories but little data – does the data
support the “anectdata”?
HCCI’s data on the commercially insured
can help fill in the gaps and provide a
broader view to support stakeholders –
including media and legislators
HCCI Air Ambulance Study - Methods
Our 10-year (2008-2017) sample included over more than 100,000 air
ambulance trips in the employer sponsored insured population under
the age of 65
In our study, we examine the costs by Current Procedural Terminology
(CPT) codes individually and by grouping all services of same type of
transport (plane or helicopter) for a patient on the same date.
Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes used:
•
A0430 (plane/fixed-wing air ambulance base rate),
•
A0431 (helicopter/rotary air ambulance base rate),
•
A0435 (plane/fixed-wing air ambulance mileage), and
•
A0436 (helicopter/rotary air ambulance mileage)
Air Ambulance Use Remained Relatively Constant
Helicopters
-14%
Planes
+5%
Spending on Air Ambulances More than Doubled in 10 Years
Helicopters
+109%
Planes
+179%
Increasing Average Price drove Spending Growth
Planes
+166%
Helicopters
+144%
Helicopters
+175%
Planes
+223%
Mean Charges Rose More Quickly Than Prices
Helicopter Prices Varied Significantly
Mileage is the Biggest Contributing Factor to
Overall Plane Prices
Conclusions
•
Spending on air ambulances for commercially insured more than
doubled between 2008 and 2017
•
Air ambulance utilization remains relatively constant through 10
years.
•
Substantial increase in prices and charges for both types of air
ambulance.
•
Charges grew faster than prices, may indicate growth in potential
balanced bills faced by patients
•
Wide distribution in air ambulance prices.
This study delves into the cost and utilization trends of air ambulances over a decade, shedding light on the key issues impacting the U.S. healthcare system. Explore insights from data analysis on commercially insured populations to address the high costs and other challenges associated with air ambulance services, offering valuable information for stakeholders and policymakers.
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Presentation Transcript
Air Ambulances 10 Year Trends in Cost and Use John Hargraves, MPP Director of Data Strategy/Senior Researcher Aaron Bloschichak, MPH Research Assistant January 15, 2020
HCCIs Mission HCCI s mission is to get to the heart of the key issues impacting the U.S. health care system by using the best data to get the best answers. Our values are simple: Health care claims data should be accessible to all those who have important questions to ask of it. Health care information should be transparent and easy to understand. All stakeholders in the health care system can drive improvements in quality and value with robust analytics. HCCI reports cost trends and facilitates informed debate about the less- understood commercially-insured population
HCCI Data Holdings Commercial Claims Years: 2008-2017 All 50 states and D.C. Updated annually De-identified, HIPAA and anti-trust compliant Medicare Fee-For-Service Claims National Qualified Entity (QE) Years: 2012-2017 100% Parts A & B & D FFS Medicare 40M ESI 42M
HCCI Air Ambulance Study Air ambulances - either fixed wing (airplane) or rotary wing (helicopter) aircraft are an essential life-saving part of our health care system, transporting people in time-sensitive medical situations Air ambulances have become a frequent topic in the news due to their high cost and propensity to lead to surprise bills. Lots of stories but little data does the data support the anectdata ? HCCI s data on the commercially insured can help fill in the gaps and provide a broader view to support stakeholders including media and legislators
HCCI Air Ambulance Study - Methods Our 10-year (2008-2017) sample included over more than 100,000 air ambulance trips in the employer sponsored insured population under the age of 65 In our study, we examine the costs by Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes individually and by grouping all services of same type of transport (plane or helicopter) for a patient on the same date. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes used: A0430 (plane/fixed-wing air ambulance base rate), A0431 (helicopter/rotary air ambulance base rate), A0435 (plane/fixed-wing air ambulance mileage), and A0436 (helicopter/rotary air ambulance mileage)
Air Ambulance Use Remained Relatively Constant Helicopters -14% Planes +5%
Spending on Air Ambulances More than Doubled in 10 Years Helicopters +109% Planes +179%
Increasing Average Price drove Spending Growth Planes +223% Planes +166% Helicopters +175% Helicopters +144%
Mileage is the Biggest Contributing Factor to Overall Plane Prices
Conclusions Spending on air ambulances for commercially insured more than doubled between 2008 and 2017 Air ambulance utilization remains relatively constant through 10 years. Substantial increase in prices and charges for both types of air ambulance. Charges grew faster than prices, may indicate growth in potential balanced bills faced by patients Wide distribution in air ambulance prices.
