Table 2.
Comparison of Hospitalist Group to the Pooled Control Group
| Measure | Hospitalist | Pooled Controls | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample size | 93 | 309 | |
| Mean age | 64 | 63.6 | .85† |
| Proportion female | 58% | 50% | .15‡ |
| Case-mix index (Mean) | 0.886 | 0.946 | .30† |
| Payer Mix: | |||
| HMO | 23% | 18% | .8§ |
| Medicare | 54% | 59% | |
| Medicaid | 10% | 7% | |
| Other | 13% | 16% | |
| Length of stay (Mean) | 2.19 | 3.48 | <.001† |
| Length of stay (Median) | 1 | 3 | <.001M |
| Percent observation days | 30% | 23% | 0.14 |
| Length of stay with observation days (N) excluded | 2.71 | 4.22 | <.001† |
| Mean direct hospital cost per case | $1,775 | $2,332 | .015† |
| Mean direct hospital cost per day | $811 | $670 | <.001† |
| Readmission rate | 14% | 18% | .29‡ |
| Discharge Disposition: | |||
| Home health | 23% | 19% | .62§ |
| Rehabilitation/chronic hospital | 18% | 14% | |
| Skilled nursing facility | 10% | 7% | |
| Home | 40% | 46% | |
| Other | 10% | 14% | |
†
Notes:P-value for Student's t-test of means.
‡
P-value for normal approximation to binomial test of proportions.
M
Mood's chi-square test of medians.
§
Chi-square test for independence of discharge disposition versus presence of the hospitalist.