Table 1.
Baseline Patient Characteristics of Community-Based and Hospital-Based Primary Care Users in 2000*
| Patient Characteristic | Community-Based (n=8,964) | Hospital-Based (n=6,556) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (mean, SD) | 70.0 (9.0) | 69.0 (9.9) | .001 |
| <45 (%) | 2.2 | 2.2 | .8894 |
| 45–54 (%) | 7.0 | 10.8 | <.0001 |
| 55–64 (%) | 8.4 | 9.2 | .3259 |
| >64 (%) | 82.4 | 77.9 | .0001 |
| Female (%) | 2.68 | 2.68 | .9996 |
| Married (%) | 68.0 | 65.0 | .0279 |
| White (%) | 90.8 | 87.1 | < .0001 |
| Medicaid (%) | 5.0 | 5.7 | .3087 |
| Free care in VA (%) | 80.9 | 85.2 | <.0001 |
| Service-related disability percentage (mean, SD) | 17.5 (27.1) | 20.5 (30.5) | .001 |
| Diagnostic cost group (DCG)† (mean, SD) | 0.95 (0.66) | 0.99 (0.67) | .076 |
| Original reason for Medicare eligibility due to age (%) | 68.5 | 63.1 | .001 |
| Distance to VA‡, miles (mean, SD) | 20.5 (30.0) | 22.6 (22.7) | .037 |
| Per capita income in ZIP code (mean, SD) | 19,474 (6030) | 19,452 (8532) | .901 |
| Population per square mile in ZIP code (mean, SD) | 801 (3186) | 944 (5277) | .336 |
| Percentage high school graduate in ZIP code (mean, SD) | 79.5 (0.10) | 79.6 (0.11) | .773 |
*
All comparisons were adjusted for sampling weights.
†
Measured at 2000 including diagnoses from both VA and Medicare.
‡
Include VA hospitals and community clinics.
VA, Veterans Health Administration.