Table 3.
Characteristics of Medicare Patients Undergoing Elective Noncardiac Surgery With No Indications for Stress Testing (N=74,785)
| Patient Characteristics | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Age | |
| 65–69 | 21,276 (28.45) |
| 70–74 | 23,024 (30.79) |
| 75–79 | 17,090 (22.85) |
| 80–84 | 9,505 (12.71) |
| 85+ | 3,890 (5.20) |
| Sex | |
| Male | 29,675 (39.68) |
| Female | 45,110 (60.32) |
| Race | |
| White | 69,658 (93.14) |
| Black | 3,369 (4.50) |
| Other | 1,758 (2.35) |
| Charlson comorbidity | |
| 0 | 65,895 (88.11) |
| ≥1 | 8,890 (11.89) |
| Cardiac complications | 1,666 (2.23) |
| 30-day mortality | 400 (0.53) |
| Surgical procedure | |
| High risk | 14,141 (18.91) |
| Intermediate risk | 48,062 (64.27) |
| Low risk | 12,582 (16.82) |
| US region | |
| Northeast | 12,247 (16.38) |
| Midwest | 22,992 (30.74) |
| South | 26,469 (35.39) |
| Mountain West | 5,215 (6.97) |
| Pacific West | 7,860 (10.51) |
| Size MSA | |
| <250,000 | 17,979 (24.04) |
| 250,000–1,000,000 | 21,426 (28.65) |
| 1,000,000+ | 35,378 (47.31) |
| Medical School Affiliation | |
| Yes | 28,793 (38.50) |
| No | 45992 (61.50) |
| Hospital Type | |
| Nonprofit | 56,759 (75.90) |
| Profit | 9,198 (12.30) |
| Government | 8,826 (11.80) |
| Hospital size | |
| <200 beds | 21,726 (29.05) |
| 200–324 beds | 16,503 (22.07) |
| 325–500 beds | 17,994 (24.06) |
| >500 beds | 18,562 (24.82) |
| Cardiologists per 100,000 population | |
| Q1 (0–5) | 18147 (24.48) |
| Q2 (5–<6) | 18607 (25.10) |
| Q3 (6–<7) | 18558 (25.04) |
| Q4 (≥ 7) | 18807 (25.37) |
| Medicare expenditures in HRR (2006$) | |
| Q1 ($0–$6,806) | 18326 (24.73) |
| Q2 ($6,806–7,579) | 18596 (25.09) |
| Q3 ($7,579–8,528) | 18558 (25.04) |
| Q4 (> $8528) | 18639 (25.15) |
MSA = metropolitan statistical area; HRR = hospital referral region;