| Sumario: | Part of a special section on patient centered care. The writers compare the acute care utilization experience of long-term care (LTC) beneficiaries in the Arizona Long-Term Care System (ALTCS) with those in a fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid program, combining data from both the Medicare and the Medicaid program files. They explain that the ALTCS, which is the state's Medicaid program for LTC beneficiaries, capitates contractors to offer a full range of acute and LTC services to financially-eligible beneficiaries determined to be at risk of institutionalization. They report that patterns of use observed in Arizona appear more consistent with a managed care environment than do those noted in the FFS comparison. They argue that the rates of acute care utilization recorded for both the capitated and the FFS program should be of interest to states considering incorporating LTC beneficiaries into their Medicaid managed care program.
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