Table 1.
Trends in Characteristics of Elderly Medicare AMI Patients Admitted through the Emergency Room
| 1989–1998 Aggregate Mean | 1989 Mean | 1998 Mean | 1989–1998 Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year inpatient expenditures (1993 $) (standard deviation) | $19,196 (20,439) | $16,016 (16,997) | $22,742 (22,862) | 42.0% |
| 1-year outpatient expenditures (1993 $) (standard deviation) | $798 (2,107) | $520 (1,246) | $868 (2,007) | 66.9% |
| 0-day CATH rate | 6.5% | 2.5% | 11.1% | 8.6% |
| 1-day CATH rate | 10.3% | 4.0% | 17.5% | 13.5% |
| 7-day CATH rate | 33.2% | 16.4% | 43.1% | 26.7% |
| 365-day CATH rate | 42.4% | 28.8% | 48.9% | 20.1% |
| 0-day PTCA rate | 3.9% | 1.3% | 7.1% | 5.8% |
| 1-day PTCA rate | 5.0% | 1.7% | 9.3% | 7.6% |
| 7-day PTCA rate | 11.8% | 4.2% | 19.3% | 15.1% |
| 365-day PTCA rate | 16.4% | 8.0% | 22.9% | 14.9% |
| 0-day CABG rate | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| 1-day CABG rate | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.5% | 1.1% |
| 7-day CABG rate | 6.3% | 2.4% | 9.0% | 6.6% |
| 365-day CABG rate | 14.4% | 10.6% | 14.6% | 4.0% |
| 30-day mortality rate | 20.8% | 23.8% | 20.0% | −3.8% |
| 90-day mortality rate | 26.0% | 29.2% | 25.7% | −3.5% |
| 180-day mortality rate | 30.0% | 33.0% | 30.3% | −2.7% |
| 1-year mortality rate | 35.2% | 38.2% | 36.3% | −1.9% |
| 1-year AMI readmission rate | 5.6% | 5.4% | 5.9% | 0.5% |
| 1-year CHF readmission rate | 9.2% | 8.8% | 9.2% | 0.4% |
| 1-year prior inpatient expenditures (1993 $) (standard deviation) | $3,289 (8,394) | $2,876 (6,937) | $4,178 (10,035) | 45.3% |
| Inpatient admission 365 days before AMI | 30.1% | 30.1% | 32.3% | 2.2% |
| Charlson comorbidity index | 0.760 | 0.607 | 0.953% | 57.0% |
| Age | 77.136 | 76.755 | 78.042 | 1.7% |
| Black | 6.7% | 6.6% | 7.0% | 0.4% |
| Female | 51.3% | 51.7% | 52.5% | 0.8% |
| N | 922,074 | 90,713 | 94,382 |
Notes: For dichotomous variables the means (and their changes) are reported in percentage points; for continuous variables changes are reported in percents. For 1996, I use a 20 percent sample which is upweighted to construct aggregate means. Outpatient expenditures are calculated using 20 percent sample in all years.
AMI, acute myocardial infarction; PTCA, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty; CABG, coronary artery bypass graft; CHF, congestive heart failure; CATH, cardiac catheterization.