Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Men 70 Years of Age or Older
| Characteristic | Total Cohort (N = 622,262) N (%) | Men with Limited Life Expectancy (N = 123,223) N (%) | Men with Favorable Life Expectancy (N = 136,839) N (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attended a VA Medical Center with the Following Characteristics | |||
| Census Region of VA Medical Center | |||
| West | 96,125 (15.5) | 17,575 (14.3) | 22,665 (16.6) |
| Midwest | 186,472 (30.0) | 35,989 (29.2) | 41,857 (30.6) |
| Northeast | 84,885 (13.6) | 18,514 (15.0) | 18,188 (13.3) |
| South | 254,780 (40.9) | 51,145 (41.5) | 54,129 (39.6) |
| Academic Affiliation | 426,556 (68.6) | 84,993 (69.0) | 93,135 (68.1) |
| Incentives for Primary Care Performance* | 318,138 (52.9) | 63,379 (53.3) | 69,175 (52.3) |
| Primary Care Initial Appt Length ≥45 min* | 143,242 (23.8) | 28,897 (24.3) | 31,300 (23.7) |
| Primary Care Geriatricians* | 329,130 (55.2) | 65,954 (55.9) | 71,959 (54.8) |
| VA Size (number of men in cohort)† | |||
| Lowest Tertile (≤3,995 men) | 101,363 (16.3) | 19,317 (15.7) | 23,279 (17.0) |
| Middle Tertile (3,995–5,872 men) | 170,369 (27.4) | 33,794 (27.4) | 37,728 (27.6) |
| Highest Tertile ( ≥5,872 men) | 350,530 (56.3) | 70,112 (56.9) | 75,832 (55.4) |
| Performance on Prostate Cancer Education >90% | 306,868 (49.3) | 60,290 (48.9) | 67,557 (49.4) |
| Performance on Colorectal Cancer Screening >67% | 329,356 (52.9) | 65,396 (53.1) | 72,564 (53.0) |
| Number of Outpatient Visits in 2002 | |||
| Lowest Tertile ( ≤201,864 visits) | 125,863 (20.2) | 23,404 (19.0) | 29,184 (21.3) |
| Middle Tertile (201,864–365,000 visits) | 215,221 (34.6) | 42,852 (34.8) | 46,333 (33.9) |
| Highest Tertile (>365,000 visits) | 281,178 (45.2) | 56,967 (46.2) | 61,322 (44.8) |
| Total Health Care Expenditures in 2002 | |||
| Lowest Tertile ( ≤$88,687,612) | 122,957 (19.8) | 22,767 (18.5) | 28,274 (20.7) |
| Middle Tertile ($88,687,612–$177,724,499) | 195,444 (31.4) | 39,086 (31.7) | 42,221 (30.9) |
| Highest Tertile (>$177,724,499) | 303,861 (48.8) | 61,370 (49.8) | 66,344 (48.5) |
| Ratio of NP or PAs to MDs ≥3:4* | 57,657 (10.6) | 11,326 (10.5) | 13,039 (11.0) |
| Patient Characteristics | |||
| Age, years | |||
| 70–74 | 234,216 (37.6) | 33,010 (26.8) | 75,650 (55.3) |
| 75–79 | 219,951 (35.4) | 38,053 (30.9) | 61,189 (44.7) |
| 80–84 | 130,871 (21.0) | 24,603 (20.0) | 0 |
| ≥85 | 37,224 (6.0) | 27,557 (22.4) | 0 |
| Race/Ethnicity** | |||
| White | 556,384 (89.4) | 110,657 (89.8) | 121,352 (88.7) |
| Black | 44,550 (7.2) | 8,958 (7.3) | 10,146 (7.4) |
| White Hispanic | 11,290 (1.8) | 2,115 (1.7) | 2,619 (1.9) |
| Other | 10,038 (1.6) | 1,493 (1.2) | 2,722 (2.0) |
| Married* | 442,562 (71.7) | 85,120 (69.6) | 99,219 (73.2) |
| Charlson Score | |||
| 0 (good health) | 180,533 (29.0) | 0 | 136,839(100.0) |
| 1–3 (average health) | 338,925 (54.5) | 20419 (16.6) | 0 |
| ≥4 (poor health) | 102,804 (16.5) | 102804 (83.4) | 0 |
| Lived in ZCTA in which ≥25% of Adults Had a College Education* | 189,107 (31.2) | 38,328 (31.8) | 42,868 (32.3) |
| Median Annual Income of ZCTA* | |||
| Highest Tertile (≥$41,943) | 202,123 (33.4) | 39,581 (32.9) | 45,277 (34.1) |
| Middle Tertile ($32,980–$41,943) | 202,052 (33.3) | 39,850 (33.1) | 44,511 (33.5) |
| Lowest Tertile (≤$32,980) | 202,161 (33.3) | 41,020 (34.1) | 43,163 (32.5) |
*Data missing for these variables: Incentives for primary care performance (3%), Primary care initial appointment length (3%), Primary care geriatricians (4%), Ratio of NPs or PAs to MDs (10%), Married (1%), Lived in ZCTA where ≥25% of adults had a college education (3%), and Median annual income of ZCTA for adults 65+ (3%). ZCTA = Zip code tabulation area
†VA size based on the number of men each VA contributed to the cohort of 622,262 screen-eligible men
**22% of VA medical centers cared for populations that included ≥10% black patients; this center characteristic was not associated with PSA screening (p = 0.92)