Table 1.
Cohort characteristics by definition of clinical complexity
| Patient characteristics | No. of comorbid conditionsa (n = 35,872) | Illness Burden by DCG RRS (n=35,872) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 (n=2,082) | 1 (n=5,883) | 2 (13,473) | ≥3 (n=14,434) | <0.50 (n=14,126) | 0.50–0.99 (n=6,207) | 1.00–1.99 (n=6,316) | ≥2.00 (n=9,223) | |
| Age, mean (SD) | 58.7 (10.6) | 60.9 (9.4) | 63.0 (8.3) | 63.6 (7.7) | 63.7 (8.4) | 62.9 (8.5) | 62.3 (8.5) | 61.1 (8.3) |
| DCG RSS, mean (SD) | 1.04 (1.75) | 1.27 (1.92) | 1.33 (2.03) | 2.39 (3.26) | 0.29 (0.10) | 0.72 (0.14) | 1.46 (0.28) | 4.82 (3.64) |
| No. comorbidities, mean (SD) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3.4 (0.6) | 2.0 (1.0) | 2.3 (1.1) | 2.4 (1.1) | 2.7 (1.2) |
| No. VA primary care visits in 1 year prior, mean (SD)b | 2.6 (2.3) | 4.1 (3.2) | 4.6 (3.4) | 5.8 (4.5) | 3.5 (2.3) | 4.5 (3.1) | 5.3 (3.8) | 7.1 (5.2) |
| No. VA specialty care visits in 1 year prior, mean (SD)c | 0.3 (0.9) | 0.8 (3.2) | 1.4 (5.0) | 4.0 (8.7) | 0.5 (1.6) | 1.5 (3.3) | 2.4 (4.7) | 5.4 (11.3) |
Abbreviations: DCG RRS, Diagnostic Cost Group Relative Risk Score; VA, Veterans Affairs
a
No of comorbid conditions are among the 6 study conditions evaluated.
b
No. of primary care visits to VA in 1 yr prior to the patient’s last primary care visit during the study interval.
c
No. of specialty care visits to VA in 1 yr prior to the patient’s last primary care visit during the study interval. Visits designated as specialty care if the patient had a study condition relevant to the clinic from which he received care (e.g., depression and psychiatry).