Table 2.
Percent Increase in the Number of Major Diagnoses, Diagnostic Tests, and Imaging Services among Medicare Beneficiaries, According to the Intensity of Practice in the Hospital Referral Region (HRR) in Which They Lived.
| Beneficiary | No. of Beneficiaries | Increase in Diagnoses per Person | Increase in Imaging Services per Person | Increase in Laboratory Tests per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| percent (95 percent confidence interval) | ||||
| Resident of quintile 1, region with lowest intensity of practice | ||||
| Did not change HRR of residence | 600,490 | 65.6 (64.9 to 66.3) | 43.9 (43.2 to 44.5) | 31.6 (31.1 to 32.1) |
| Moved within quintile 1 | 7,984 | 61.7 (55.8 to 67.4) | 24.1 (19.1 to 29.0) | 23.7 (19.1 to 28.2) |
| Moved to higher-intensity region | 3,811 | 100.8 (89.6 to 112.1) | 66.1 (57.5 to 74.7) | 74.2 (64.7 to 83.6) |
| Resident of quintile 2 | ||||
| Did not change HRR of residence | 583,865 | 63.9 (63.3 to 64.5) | 49.6 (48.9 to 50.3) | 37.4 (36.9 to 37.9) |
| Moved to lower-intensity region | 1,589 | 52.7 (40.5 to 64.9) | 26.4 (15.5 to 37.4) | 6.0 (−2.9 to 14.9) |
| Moved within quintile 2 | 2,302 | 62.6 (53.4 to 72.6) | 26.6 (17.8 to 35.3) | 36.4 (27.1 to 45.7) |
| Moved to higher-intensity region | 3,206 | 91.3 (80.3 to 102.4) | 49.7 (41.9 to 57.5) | 59.0 (50.1 to 67.9) |
| Resident of quintile 3 | ||||
| Did not change HRR of residence | 593,265 | 62.6 (62.0 to 63.2) | 47.8 (47.1 to 48.5) | 36.0 (35.5 to 36.4) |
| Moved to lower-intensity region | 2,205 | 65.4 (54.1 to 76.7) | 35.3 (25.0 to 45.5) | 33.5 (24.9 to 42.1) |
| Moved within quintile 3 | 2,862 | 60.0 (50.4 to 68.7) | 28.7 (20.9 to 36.6) | 36.7 (29.3 to 44.1) |
| Moved to higher-intensity region | 2,448 | 84.6 (72.6 to 96.7) | 62.0 (50.8 to 73.2) | 76.3 (64.5 to 88.2) |
| Resident of quintile 4 | ||||
| Did not change HRR of residence | 624,235 | 62.5 (61.9 to 63.1) | 49.7 (49.1 to 50.3) | 37.6 (37.1 to 38.0) |
| Moved to lower-intensity region | 4,509 | 61.8 (54.4 to 69.2) | 25.9 (20.1 to 31.6) | 15.5 (10.3 to 20.7) |
| Moved within quintile 4 | 5,188 | 68.4 (62.4 to 74.4) | 33.1 (27.2 to 39.1) | 40.2 (34.7 to 45.6) |
| Moved to higher-intensity region | 1,211 | 84.3 (70.0 to 98.6) | 50.2 (35.8 to 64.5) | 48.8 (37.4 to 60.1) |
| Resident of quintile 5, region with highest intensity of practice | ||||
| Did not change HRR of residence | 529,464 | 54.8 (54.3 to 55.3) | 50.4 (49.7 to 51.1) | 34.1 (33.6 to 34.6) |
| Moved to lower-intensity region | 5,485 | 42.6 (37.0 to 48.3) | 16.6 (11.4 to 21.9) | 6.6 (2.2 to 11.0) |
| Moved within quintile 5 | 9,114 | 58.5 (54.4 to 62.5) | 38.6 (33.9 to 43.4) | 32.8 (29.2 to 36.4) |