Table 3.

Relationship between the Average and Marginal Patient Receiving Cardiac Catheterization

	Characteristic of average patient getting CATH across all areas	Difference Between average patient and marginal patient getting CATH in higher-CATH HRRs
Patient Characteristic
1. CATH propensity	0.633 (0.002)	−0.045 (0.008)
2. Over age 80	0.125 (0.002)	0.063 (0.012)
3. Not eligible for CATH using ACC/AHA guidelines	0.028 (0.001)	0.010 (0.003)
N	303	303

Notes: CATH propensity is an empirical measure of patient appropriateness for intensive treatments. We define this measure by using fitted values from a logit model of the receipt of cardiac catheterization on all the CCP risk-adjusters. Sample is restricted to patients receiving cardiac catheterization within 30 days of an AMI. ACC/AHA guidelines reflect a binary variable assigned to each patient in the CCP that measures whether the patient is ideal, appropriate, or not eligible for catheterization based on chart-review.