Table 2.
Population characteristics
| Nonverified* | MyGroupHealth identity verified† | Secure messaging users |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 threads | 4–11 threads | ≥12 threads | |||
| n | 10,153 | 2,350 | 1,892 | 814 | 218 |
| Male sex | 52 | 45 | 46 | 49 | 49 |
| Age (years) | 64 ± 13 | 60 ± 12 | 58 ± 12 | 57 ± 12 | 57 ± 11 |
| <35 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 4.1 |
| 35–49 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 24 | 21 |
| 50–64 | 36 | 46 | 52 | 50 | 53 |
| ≥65 | 50 | 37 | 28 | 23 | 22 |
| Low neighborhood SES | 25 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 24 |
| Distance to clinic (miles) | 9.6 ± 69 | 10 ± 85 | 13 ± 108 | 7.8 ± 9.7 | 7.9 ± 11 |
| Rural | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.7 |
| Insurance | |||||
| Commercial | 46 | 58 | 68 | 73 | 65 |
| Medicare | 52 | 40 | 31 | 26 | 33 |
| Medicaid, Basic Health Plan | 1.9 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.8 |
| Expected resource use | |||||
| None or low | 5.8 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 0.5 |
| Moderate | 48 | 50 | 51 | 46 | 22 |
| High | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 38 |
| Very high | 21 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 39 |
| Depression visits‡ | 0.69 ± 2.7 | 0.86 ± 3.6 | 0.83 ± 4.1 | 1.1 ± 4.3 | 2.5 ± 8.9 |
| Diabetes complications | 1.5 ± 1.1 | 1.4 ± 1.1 | 1.3 ± 1.1 | 1.3 ± 1.1 | 1.8 ± 1.0 |
| Quarters with any secure messaging | N/A | 0 | 1.5 ± 0.67 | 3.2 ± 1.0 | 4.4 ± 0.85 |
| Patient's ratio of secure messaging threads: all encounters | N/A | 0 | 0.20 ± 0.14 | 0.41 ± 0.17 | 0.54 ± 0.16 |
| PCP ratio of secure messaging threads: all encounters | 0.14 ± 0.07 | 0.14 ± 0.07 | 0.16 ± 0.08 | 0.18 ± 0.09 | 0.19 ± 0.10 |
| PCP male sex | 72 | 73 | 71 | 68 | 67 |
| Panel size | 1,408 ± 363 | 1,434 ± 366 | 1,403 ± 356 | 1,375 ± 356 | 1,382 ± 351 |
| Tenure with PCP (years) | 6.2 ± 5.2 | 6.1 ± 5.2 | 6.2 ± 5.2 | 6.1 ± 5.3 | 6.2 ± 5.1 |
| A1C (%) | 7.8 ± 1.6 | 7.7 ± 1.6 | 7.6 ± 1.5 | 7.6 ± 1.5 | 7.5 ± 1.6 |
| <7 | 34 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 45 |
| Blood pressure (mmHg) | 134/74 ± 20/11 | 133/75 ± 19/11 | 132/75 ± 18/11 | 132/76 ± 18/11 | 132/75 ± 19/11 |
| <130/80 | 33 | 35 | 36 | 34 | 36 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 96 ± 35 | 95 ± 34 | 95 ± 35 | 94 ± 36 | 93 ± 34 |
| <100 | 80 | 82 | 81 | 81 | 83 |
| Outpatient visits‡ | 9.5 ± 14 | 9.4 ± 14 | 9.7 ± 14 | 12 ± 15 | 18 ± 20 |
| Primary care | 49 | 48 | 47 | 45 | 42 |
| Specialty care | 47 | 49 | 51 | 53 | 55 |
| Emergency | 4.6 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 4.1 |
Data are % or means ± SD.
*Patients with no MyGroupHealth Web site registration or only basic username/password registration.
†Patients who registered to use the MyGroupHealth Web site and completed secondary identity verification but never used secure messaging.
‡Annualized visits. SES, socioeconomic status.