Medicare Advantage vs. Traditional Medicare: New Evidence on Quality Outcomes and Performance
- Wednesday, September 23, 2026
- 1:00 PM (ET)
How can healthcare stakeholders accurately compare the quality of care delivered by Medicare Advantage (MA) and traditional Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS)? This session presents groundbreaking research that addresses one of the most persistent challenges in Medicare quality measurement: making fair, apples-to-apples comparisons between populations with different demographic, clinical and socioeconomic characteristics.
Using real-world pre-enrollment and post-enrollment data, researchers developed an innovative approach that controls for differences in beneficiary selection and coding practices, providing a more accurate assessment of quality performance across the two programs. The findings reveal that Medicare Advantage significantly outperforms traditional Medicare on several key HEDIS® measures, including 30-day readmissions and potentially preventable hospitalizations—outcomes that are closely linked to improved patient health, lower costs and enhanced quality of life.
Christie Teigland, PhD
Christie Teigland, PhD
Christie Teigland, PhD is Vice President, Research Science & Advanced Analytics at Inovalon where she leads studies focused on healthcare quality measurement and health economics and outcomes research. Dr. Teigland works closely with health plans, providers, and life science organizations to develop actionable real world data insights. She co-chaired the National Quality Forum (NQF) Scientific Methods Panel for four years and served on the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) Quality Measure Expert Panel and as co-chair of PQA’s Health Equity Technical Expert Panel, and numerous Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) expert panels. Christie has more than three decades of experience as principal investigator on large research studies focused on evaluating and improving healthcare quality. Christie has published extensively in peer reviewed journals and numerous reports exploring emerging healthcare issues, including a four white papers published jointly with partners at Harvard Medical School evaluating the effectiveness of Medicare. Christie uses real world data to bring practical solutions to healthcare and is a recognized thought leader. Prior to Inovalon, Christie developed innovative technology solutions to advance use of electronic data-driven decision-making tools in long term care. Christie earned a Ph.D. in Economics and Econometric Forecasting from the University of New York at Albany.
Sari Siegel, PhD
Sari Siegel, PhD
Sari Siegel, PhD, is Senior Vice President of Research at AHIP, where she leads AHIP’s Center for Policy Research. In this capacity, she oversees and executes AHIP’s policy research agenda, managing a broad portfolio of studies related to payment, care delivery, and other issues affecting health plans across all lines of business.
Before joining AHIP, Dr. Siegel led the Medicare and Medicaid research portfolios at AARP’s Public Policy Institute. She also held leadership roles at Optum Serve (formerly The Lewin Group) and Westat, where she directed quantitative and qualitative analyses for both health plans and federal clients–primarily within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) operating divisions. Prior to that, she led research departments at national and state hospital associations in Washington, DC and Harrisburg, PA.
The author of two books on access to care for low-income populations, Dr. Siegel has published or presented more than 100 peer-reviewed studies. During her early-career tenure with the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), she completed training in health services research. She also holds degrees from University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics, and Brandeis University.
Monica Tencate, MPH
Monica Tencate, MPH
Monica Tencate is a recognized health policy leader with extensive experience shaping Medicare policy from both government and industry perspectives. She currently serves as Senior Director of Government Programs at the BlueCross BlueShield Association, where she leads the Association’s Medicare and Medicaid policy teams, advancing strategic priorities across both public programs.
Previously, she served as Health Policy Director for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, where she led the healthcare team and played a central role in developing bipartisan Medicare legislation, including policies impacting Medicare Advantage, quality, and payment reform. She has also served as CEO of a healthcare policy and advocacy firm and held senior leadership roles in a leading think tank, advising Fortune 500 companies, national trade associations, and nonprofit organizations. With over 25 years of experience working on Medicare and Medicaid policy in Washington, D.C., she brings deep expertise on the Medicare Advantage program.
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