Factors Associated With Overuse of Health Care Within US Health Systems

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Overuse of health care is a pervasive threat to patients that requires measurement to inform the development of interventions. OBJECTIVE To measure low-value health care use within health systems in the US and explore features of the health systems associated with low-value care delivery. DESIGN, SETTING, ANDPARTICIPANTS In this cross-sectional analysis,we identified occurrences of 17 low-value services in3745 hospitals and affiliated outpatient sites. Hospitalswere linked to676health systems in theUSusing the Agency for HealthcareResearch and Quality(AHRQ) CompendiumofHealth Systems. The participantswere 100% of Medicare beneficiaries with claims from 2016 to 2018. EXPOSURES We identified occurrences of 17 low-value services in 3839 hospitals and affiliated outpatient