Table 1. Characteristics of the Study Population.
| Characteristic | Participants, No. (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usual care | Clinician peer comparison | Patient informational mail | Clinician peer comparison + patient informational mail | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 74 (7) | 74 (7) | 74 (7) | 74 (7) |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 79 174 (49.6) | 40 929 (50.3) | 48 476 (49.2) | 84 819 (50.0) |
| Female | 80 500 (50.4) | 40 434 (49.7) | 50 044 (50.8) | 84 893 (50.0) |
| Case duration, mean (SD), min | 100 (86) | 101 (84) | 95 (82) | 100 (85) |
| ASA Physical Status classification | ||||
| I: No systemic disease | 1428 (0.9) | 763 (0.9) | 752 (0.8) | 1285 (0.8) |
| II: Mild systemic disease | 45 099 (28.3) | 21 751 (26.8) | 27 676 (28.1) | 44 051 (26.0) |
| III: Severe systemic disease | 92 785 (58.1) | 47432 (58.3) | 58 714 (59.6) | 10 1782 (60.0) |
| IV or V: Severe systemic disease that is a constant threat to life or moribund patient | 20 312 (12.7) | 11 375 (14.1) | 11 343 (11.5) | 22 519 (13.3) |
| Surgical procedure type | ||||
| Endoscopic | 31 378 (19.7) | 15 024 (18.5) | 20 334 (20.6) | 31 873 (18.8) |
| General or abdominal | 25 869 (16.2) | 12 261 (15.1) | 14 529 (14.7) | 26 417 (15.6) |
| Orthopedic | 22 167 (13.9) | 12 757 (15.7) | 15 279 (15.5) | 24 829 (14.6) |
| Urologic | 19 147 (12.0) | 9370 (11.5) | 8843 (9.0) | 19 834 (11.7) |
| Neurosurgery or spine | 17 923 (11.2) | 8486 (10.4) | 12 435 (12.6) | 18 402 (10.8) |
| Cardiologic | 9575 (6.0) | 5661 (7.0) | 6640 (6.7) | 10 462 (6.2) |
| Vascular | 5644 (3.5) | 3135 (3.9) | 3446 (3.5) | 6211 (3.7) |
| Cardiac | 4931 (3.1) | 2740 (3.4) | 3190 (3.2) | 5213 (3.1) |
| ENT | 4406 (2.76) | 2164 (2.66) | 2211 (2.2) | 4573 (2.7) |
| Gynecologic | 4285 (2.7) | 1714 (2.1) | 2597 (2.6) | 4490 (2.6) |
| Thoracic | 3894 (2.4) | 2123 (2.6) | 2198 (2.2) | 4652 (2.7) |
| Ophthalmologic | 3221 (2.0) | 1784 (2.2) | 2015 (2.0) | 3072 (1.8) |
| Cosmetic | 2970 (1.9) | 1372 (1.7) | 1267 (1.3) | 2825 (1.7) |
| Radiologic | 2177 (1.4) | 1175 (1.4) | 1546 (1.6) | 2506 (1.5) |
| Othera | 2087 (1.3) | 1597 (2.0) | 1990 (2.0) | 4353 (2.6) |
| Insurance type | ||||
| Commercial | 13 622 (8.5) | 7020 (8.6) | 9144 (9.3) | 15 125 (8.9) |
| Governmental | 143 373 (89.8) | 73 029 (89.8) | 88 072 (89.4) | 15 2084 (89.6) |
| Otherb | 2679 (1.7) | 1314 (1.6) | 1304 (1.3) | 2503 (1.5) |
| Clinician tenure in practice, median (IQR), y | 9.6 (4.1-17.5) | 9.6 (4.0-18.1) | 10.0 (4.9-18.1) | 9.0 (2.8-17.4) |
| Care model | ||||
| Solo | 56 121 (35.3) | 31 824 (39.3) | 35 592 (36.3) | 48 286 (28.8) |
| Team | 103 000 (64.7) | 49 075 (60.7) | 62 423 (63.7) | 119 567 (71.2) |
| Service location | ||||
| Inpatient hospital or ED | 57 020 (35.7) | 32 257 (39.6) | 32 560 (33.0) | 61 485 (36.2) |
| Otherc | 102 654 (64.3) | 49 106 (60.4) | 65 960 (67.0) | 108 227 (63.8) |
Abbreviations: ASA, American Society of Anesthesiologists; ED, emergency department; ENT, ear, nose, and throat.
a
Other surgical procedure type includes mom/baby, cardiovascular, psychiatry, radiation oncology, and not otherwise specified.
b
Other insurance type includes self-pay, charity care, and not otherwise specified.
c
Other service location includes ambulatory surgery center, physician office, and hospital-based outpatient department.