EXHIBIT 4.
Type Of Provider Seen By Medicare Beneficiaries At First Encounter Covered By Part B, 1993–2005
| Years 1–2 | Years 3–4 | Years 5–14 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TYPE OF PROVIDER | |||
| Ambulance services | 0.5% | 1.7%*** | 5.5%*** |
| Cardiology | 4.4 | 5.2 | 8.5*** |
| Chiropractic | 3.0 | 4.3 | 0.0** |
| Dermatology | 3.2 | 1.1** | 0.5** |
| Emergency medicine | 2.6 | 7.4*** | 10.9*** |
| Family practice | 20.4 | 18.6 | 15.9 |
| General practice | 4.8 | 5.4 | 5.5 |
| General surgery | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
| Internal medicine | 19.8 | 19.5 | 14.9* |
| Multispecialty clinic or group practice | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| Neurology | 0.6 | 0.6 | 2.5*** |
| Oncology | 0.4 | 1.1** | 2.5*** |
| Ophthalmology | 6.7 | 7.4 | 5.5 |
| Optometry | 3.9 | 5.2 | 6.5* |
| Orthopedic surgery | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 |
| Urology | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
| CATEGORY OF PROVIDER | |||
| Emergency carea | 3.4% | 9.5%*** | 12.0%*** |
| MD specialist | 37.9 | 32.1** | 35.3 |
| Non-MD specialist | 13.6 | 14.9 | 16.4 |
| Primary careb | 45.1 | 43.5 | 36.3** |
SOURCE Authors’ analysis of Health and Retirement Study data with linked Medicare claims files.
NOTES We used t tests to compare years 3–4 and years 5–14 with years 1–2. Specialties included were in the top ten first visits for at least one category. Sample sizes for each year category are provided in Exhibit 3.
a
Emergency care is emergency medicine and ambulatory services.
b
Primary care is family practice, internal medicine, and general practice.
*
p < 0.10
**
p < 0.05
*
p < 0.01