Table 2. Number of Other Practices Among Whom Primary care physicians Have to Coordinate Care for Fee-for-Service Medicare Beneficiaries, by the Characteristics of the Physicians, Their Practices, and Their Patient Panels.
| Plurality Assignment | Majority Assignment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physician and Practice Characteristics | N (%) Total = 2,284 | Number of Peers per 100 Medicare Beneficiaries, Median (IQR) | Total Number of Peers, Median (IQR) | Number of Peers per 100 Medicare Beneficiaries, Median (IQR) | Total Number of Peers, Median (IQR) |
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| Years in practice | |||||
| <5 | 366 (15.4) | 53 (35-72) | 90 (48-144) | 29 (20-40) | 50 (26-85) |
| 5-9 | 451 (18.3) | 51 (35-84) | 106 (61-188) | 31 (22-51) | 71 (34-124) |
| >9 | 1,467 (66.3) | 55 (35-87)c | 128 (75-180)c | 35 (22-54)c | 86 (46-121)c |
| Practice type | |||||
| Solo/2-person | 885 (39.6) | 68 (45-102) | 136 (83-199) | 44 (31-67) | 92 (55-137) |
| Small group, 3-10 | 325 (15.0) | 45 (32-71)c | 155 (93-200)a | 28 (20-46)c | 72 (56-131)a |
| Medium group, 11-50 | 164 (6.8) | 43 (36-62)c | 136 (74-173) | 29 (20-45)c | 86 (47-110) |
| Large group, >50 | 96 (4.8) | 45 (28-74)c | 136 (67-178) | 28 (16-36)c | 81 (39-125) |
| Medical school | 130 (4.5) | 57 (45-80)c | 71 (36-121)c | 31 (21-44)c | 40 (17-69)c |
| Hospital office/Other | 592 (25.2) | 43 (28-69)c | 90 (50-143)c | 28 (17-40)c | 55 (29-92)c |
| Group/staff health maintenance organization | 92 (4.1) | 46 (25-94) | 43 (4-61)c | 27 (14-49) | 24 (4-41)c |
| Percent of revenue derived from Medicaid | |||||
| 0-5% | 972 (38.9) | 64 (41-100) | 135 (77-203) | 39 (24-59) | 87 (43-132) |
| 6-15% | 618 (30.4) | 49 (35-75)c | 127 (81-176) | 31 (21-48)c | 86 (52-119)c |
| >15% | 694 (30.8) | 46 (33-70)c | 88 (49-142) | 31 (21-44)c | 57 (30-93)c |
| Urban | 1,985 (80.6) | 60 (40-92) | 118 (64-181) | 36 (24-55) | 77 (38-120) |
| Rural | 299 (19.4) | 36 (26-47)c | 108 (72-157) | 26 (18-35)c | 82 (50-109) |
| Census division | |||||
| New England | 190 (7.8) | 50 (32-75) | 98 (56-129) | 30 (19-46) | 57 (30-88) |
| Mid-Atlantic | 319 (12.0) | 81 (58-104)b | 148 (82-211)c | 42 (34-69)c | 94 (49-140)c |
| East North Central | 409 (17.9) | 50 (34-70) | 117 (77-161)c | 31 (21-45) | 79 (44-115)c |
| West North Central | 82 (3.0) | 46 (31-65) | 78 (47-115) | 28 (19-38) | 39 (27-71) |
| South Atlantic | 482 (20.9) | 51 (33-83) | 145 (92-193)c | 31 (20-50) | 95 (55-128)c |
| East South Central | 82 (5.8) | 37 (28-51) | 142 (92-197)c | 27 (20-35) | 101 (75-131)c |
| West South Central | 240 (10.4) | 47 (33-78) | 114 (65-186)c | 32 (21-45) | 77 (43-138)c |
| Mountain | 156 (6.6) | 62 (31-100) | 104 (53-205) | 35 (21-60) | 66 (32-127) |
| Pacific | 324 (15.6) | 56 (38-86) | 76 (33-124) | 36 (25-55) | 50 (19-89) |
| Number of specialist physicians per 1,000 capita | |||||
| Lowest quintile | 393 (20.2) | 37 (29-59) | 108 (72-156) | 28 (20-39) | 79 (48-115) |
| Fourth quintile | 423 (19.9) | 52 (33-84)c | 101 (60-166) | 31 (19-48) | 63 (34-104) |
| Third quintile | 465 (19.8) | 65 (42-97)c | 99 (44-167) | 38 (25-64) | 64 (27-105) |
| Second quintile | 428 (18.2) | 53 (36-79)c | 138 (76-191)a | 33 (20-49) | 86 (42-124) |
| Highest quintile | 575 (21.9) | 62 (42-94)b | 143 (83-202)c | 41 (26-57)c | 91 (49-129)c |
| Patient Panel Characteristics | |||||
| Number of Medicare beneficiaries | |||||
| 1-100 | 623 (24.4) | 88 (57-130) | 34 (12-67) | 51 (33-80) | 21 (6-40) |
| 101-200 | 523 (21.7) | 69 (48-94)c | 101 (71-137)c | 43 (31-60) | 65 (43-92)c |
| 201-400 | 665 (29.3) | 49 (36-62)c | 141 (101-175)c | 32 (23-44)c | 89 (65-121)c |
| >400 | 473 (24.6) | 32 (22-44)c | 193 (151-262)c | 20 (15-28)c | 129 (96-167)c |
| Mean number of chronic conditions | |||||
| Lowest quartile | 576 (24.4) | 53 (34-82) | 83 (43-139) | 36 (25-52) | 59 (28-94) |
| Third quartile | 597 (25.6) | 46 (33-75)c | 118 (73-173) | 30 (20-48) | 81 (44-114) |
| Second quartile | 500 (24.7) | 57 (36-84)c | 141 (78-194) | 34 (20-51) | 86 (44-139)b |
| Highest quartile | 611 (25.3) | 62 (38-96)c | 134 (70-199)b | 33 (23-57) | 81 (41-125) |
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Based on Medicare claims data for 576,875 fee-for-service beneficiaries treated at least once by one of 2,284 Community Tracking Study primary care physicians in the year 2005. Peer network size was calculated as the sum of 1) the number of other practices where physicians also treated the primary patients of the CTS primary care physician; plus 2) the practice of the physician that served as the primary provider for the CTS primary care physician's other (non-primary) Medicare patients. Primary patients were identified as beneficiaries for whom the CTS primary care physician billed the greatest number of evaluation and management visits (Plurality assignment) or with the added criterion that the CTS primary care physician billed for at least 50% of evaluation and management visits (Majority assignment) in year 2005. Ties were resolved by assignment to the physician who billed for the greatest total charges for that beneficiary. Primary patients accounted for a median of 50% and 30% of a CTS primary care physician's Medicare panel under Plurality and Majority assignment, respectively. IQR denotes inter-quartile range.
p<0.05;
p<0.01;
p<0.001 for comparisons to the first category for each variable.