Characteristics of Patients and Physicians in Study and Comparison Practices
| Characteristics | Enrolled Physicians | Not Enrolled Physicians |
|---|---|---|
| MCO = managed care organization. | ||
| * Socioeconomic variables derived from patient Zip code linked to 1990 US census data. Information is based on 1996 to 1999 claims data. | ||
| Patients | ||
| Number | 121,806 | 483,094 |
| Age, y, mean (SD) | 41.0 (11.0) | 41.1 (11.2) |
| Sex, % female | 53.9 | 52.7 |
| Income, US$, median (SD)* | 37,830 (10,683) | 36,874 (10,160) |
| High school graduate, %, mean (SD)* | 64.8 (7.8) | 63.8 (7.9) |
| Any visit to a physician, % | 83.1 | 82.5 |
| Percentage of patients referred | 25.7 | 25.6 |
| Years enrolled in the MCO, mean (SD) | 3.07 (1.12) | 3.07 (1.12) |
| Annual adherence indicators, % | ||
| Women with Papanicolaou tests | 52.5 | 51.8 |
| Women >40 y with mammograms | 46.2 | 46.2 |
| Diabetic with eye examinations | 47.0 | 46.4 |
| Diabetic with glycohemoglobin tests | 67.0 | 66.1 |
| Diabetic with cholesterol tests | 54.7 | 54.5 |
| Per-patient costs in 1996 dollars; mean, median (SD) | ||
| Diagnostic testing | 189,19.6 (521) | 196, 23.6 (513) |
| Inpatient | 254, 0 (4,702) | 264, 0 (4,038) |
| Total costs | 938, 228 (5,493) | 950, 228 (4,914) |
| Physicians | ||
| Number | 100 | 594 |
| Specialty, % family practice | 47 | 24 |
| Patients in panel, No. (SD) | 1,218 (758) | 813 (776) |