Table 1.
Study sample characteristics
| Characteristic | N (%) or Mean (SD) |
|---|---|
| Condition* | |
| Acute coronary syndrome | 206 (52.2) |
| Heart failure | 154 (39.0) |
| Community-acquired pneumonia | 94 (23.8) |
| Medical Team | |
| Hospitalist team | 114 (30) |
| House staff | 123 (33) |
| Cardiology | 140 (37) |
| Age, mean years | 77.2 (7.2) |
| Male | 214 (54.2) |
| English-speaking | 384 (98.0) |
| Race/ethnicity | |
| Non-Hispanic white | 310 (82.5) |
| Non-Hispanic black | 44 (11.7) |
| Hispanic | 15 (4.0) |
| Other | 7 (1.9) |
| Education | |
| <9th grade | 41 (10.9) |
| 9–12th grade | 56 (14.9) |
| High school grad/GED | 109 (28.9) |
| College degree | 111 (29.4) |
| Graduate school degree | 60 (15.9) |
| Admission source | |
| Emergency department | 248 (66.0) |
| Direct transfer from hospital or nursing facility | 94 (25.0) |
| Direct admission from office | 34 (9.0) |
| Length of stay, mean days | 3.4 (2.5) |
| Identify a usual source of care | 377 (95.9) |
| Readmission rate | |
| Overall | 65 (17.3) |
| Acute coronary syndrome (ACS)* | 34 (16.5) |
| Heart failure (HF)* | 31 (20.1) |
| Community-acquired pneumonia (PNA)* | 11 (11.7) |
| Readmission rate for all patients 65 years and older during study period | |
| Acute myocardial infarction | 13.1% |
| HF | 27.9% |
| PNA | 17.2% |
*
Not mutually exclusive