EXHIBIT 4.
Relationship Between Physician Supply Quintile And Medicare Beneficiaries’ Satisfaction With Care, 2005
| Adjusted relative rates |
Test for trend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very low | Low | Medium | High | Very high | ||
|
MEDIAN SUPPLY OF PHYSICIANS PER 100,000 POPULATION | ||||||
| All physicians | 146 | 166 | 184 | 205 | 245 | |
| Primary care physicians | 44 | 52 | 58 | 66 | 82 | |
| Specialists | 96 | 112 | 125 | 142 | 171 | |
|
RESPONDENTS’ SATISFACTION WITH CARE | ||||||
| Overall rating of care 9 or 10 out of 10 | ||||||
| All physicians | [R] | 0.91 | 0.98 | 0.98 | 0.97 | > 0.05 |
| Primary care physicians | [R] | 0.97 | 1.00 | 0.97 | 0.96 | > 0.05 |
| Specialists | [R] | 0.90 | 1.02 | 1.00 | 1.00 | > 0.05 |
| Physicians always or usually spent enough time with respondent | ||||||
| All physicians | [R] | 1.03 | 1.02 | 1.01 | 1.05 | > 0.05 |
| Primary care physicians | [R] | 1.01 | 1.03 | 1.01 | 1.04 | > 0.05 |
| Specialists | [R] | 1.04 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.03 | > 0.05 |
| Individual health care better than average | ||||||
| All physicians | [R] | 0.98 | 1.02 | 1.17 | 1.10 | > 0.05 |
| Primary care physicians | [R] | 1.07 | 1.21 | 1.10 | 1.07 | > 0.05 |
| Specialists | [R] | 0.87 | 0.97 | 0.99 | 1.06 | > 0.05 |
| Community received more care than average | ||||||
| All physicians | [R] | 0.91 | 1.07 | 1.17 | 1.32** | 0.038 |
| Primary care physicians | [R] | 0.78 | 0.82 | 0.65*** | 0.77 | > 0.05 |
| Specialists | [R] | 0.92 | 1.14 | 1.42** | 1.60*** | 0.018 |
| Community’s care better than average | ||||||
| All physicians | [R] | 0.90 | 0.98 | 1.11 | 1.20 | > 0.05 |
| Primary care physicians | [R] | 0.91 | 1.09 | 0.91 | 1.17 | > 0.05 |
| Specialists | [R] | 1.00 | 0.93 | 1.10 | 1.09 | > 0.05 |
SOURCES (1) National survey of Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older in 2005. (2) Physician supply data are from the 2005 American Medical Association Physician Masterfile (see Note 23 in text).
NOTES Results were adjusted for individual age, sex, race or ethnicity, health status, and ZIP code median household income. Primary care physician supply and specialist supply variables were included in “all physicians.” Relative rates were not significant except when indicated. Test for trend indicates whether there was a stepwise effect observed across increasing quintiles of supply. [R] denotes referent.
**
p < 0.05
***
p < 0.01