Table 1. Comparison of high and low utilizers.
Continuous data are summarized with the median (interquartile range), and categorical data by percent. Boldface entries represent comparisons statistically significant at the alpha=0.05 level.
| Median (IQR) or Percent |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Utilizers n = 75† | High Utilizers n = 47† | p value | |
| Demographics | |||
| Age (in 2001) | 23.3 (14.6) | 24.9 (15.5) | 0.357 |
| Gender (male) | 34.7 % | 38.3 % | 0.831 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| HIV | 5.3 % | 8.5 % | 0.753 |
| Diabetes Mellitus | 8.00 % | 19.0 % | 0.123 |
| Alcohol Disorder | 5.33 % | 12.8 % | 0.264 |
| Cocaine Disorder | 2.67 % | 10.6 % | 0.149 |
| Mood Disorder | 6.67 % | 6.38 % | 0.753 |
| Chronic Complications | |||
| Chronic Renal Disease | 0.00 % | 2.13 % | 0.813 |
| Aseptic Necrosis | 9.33 % | 38.3 % | <0.001 |
| Acute Events | |||
| Acute Chest† | 5.56 % | 28.9 % | 0.005 |
| Pneumonia | 41.3 % | 68.1 % | 0.007 |
| Septicemia | 6.67 % | 34.0 % | <0.001 |
| Care Utilization | |||
| Enrollment (Months) | 40.5 (36.8) | 42.8 (42.3) | 0.513 |
| Admissions per Year Enrolled | 1.17(1.03) | 5.30(7.15) | - |
| Office Visits per Year Enrolled | 0.464 (1.57) | 1.02 (5.45) | 0.009 |
| Total Costs per Year Enrolled | 9,875.41 (9,847.05) | 45,564.54 (56,417.63) | <0.001 |
†
N for Acute Chest Syndrome differs as the diagnosis was not specifically coded before October 2003. Analyses for acute chest syndrome represent members who were enrolled in 2004 and 2005 (n=92, 38 high utilizers and 54 low utilizers)