Figure 4.

Association between total patient-doctor contact (PDC) time per month and outcomes: Interaction with hospital-based facilities. Association of total PDC time per month with all-cause mortality and first hospitalization is shown separately for hospital-based and non–hospital-based facilities. Total PDC time was calculated as the estimated typical frequency of PDC multiplied by the estimated duration of a typical interaction between the patient and physician. Among 24,498 DOPPS 1–3 patients, multivariable Cox models were stratified by region and study phase and adjusted for age, sex, race, body mass index, years with ESRD, 14 comorbid conditions, living arrangements, socioeconomic status, serum albumin, hemoglobin, serum phosphorus, serum calcium, Kt/V, duration of treatment, vascular access, and facility staff deployment. The interaction of PDC by facility type was much stronger for hospitalization (P=0.001) than for mortality (P=0.80).