Table 6. Percent Distribution of Medicare Home Health Visits, by Type and Characteristics of Users: Fiscal Years 1997 and 1999.

Characteristic	Skilled Nursing Visits			Home Health Aide Visits			Other Types of Visits
	1997	1999	Difference (in Percentage Points)	1997	1999	Difference (in Percentage Points)	1997	1999	Difference (in Percentage Points)
Total	41	48	7	49	36	-13	10	16	6
Age
Under 65 Years	45	55	9	46	33	-13	9	12	3
65-74 Years	46	52	6	42	31	-11	12	17	5
75-84 Years	41	47	7	48	35	-13	11	17	6
85 Years or Over	36	44	8	55	40	-15	9	16	7
Sex
Female	40	47	7	50	36	-13	10	16	6
Male	42	50	8	48	34	-13	11	16	5
Medicaid Enrolled
Yes	43	53	10	50	36	-14	7	11	4
No	40	46	6	48	36	-13	12	18	7
Urban/Rural Location
Rural	39	47	8	54	40	-14	8	13	5
Urban	42	49	7	47	34	-13	12	18	6
Prior Hospital Stay1
Users With	46	49	3	34	27	-8	20	24	4
Users Without	45	52	7	44	31	-14	11	17	6
Unknown	34	43	9	62	53	-9	4	4	(2)
Spending per Enrollee in 1996
Lowest One-Third of States	43	47	4	43	34	-9	13	18	5
Middle One-Third of States	46	52	6	40	27	-12	15	21	6
Highest One-Third of States	38	46	9	54	41	-13	8	12	5
Historic Growth in Spending
Lowest One-Third of States	43	49	6	44	33	-12	12	18	6
Middle One-Third of States	43	49	6	44	32	-12	13	19	6
Highest One-Third of States	37	46	9	55	42	-13	7	12	4
Census Region
New England	32	39	7	59	48	-11	10	14	4
Middle Atlantic	45	48	3	42	35	-8	13	18	4
South Atlantic	43	50	7	45	31	-14	12	20	7
East North Central	45	50	5	40	28	-11	16	22	6
East South Central	35	44	9	58	42	-16	7	14	7
West North Central	45	50	5	44	33	-11	11	17	6
West South Central	39	49	10	56	43	-13	5	8	3
Mountain	39	45	6	47	32	-15	14	22	9
Pacific	53	61	8	31	20	-11	16	19	3

¹Prior hospital stay is defined as Medicare-covered inpatient hospital or skilled nursing facility care within 14 days of the beginning of a home health episode, where an episode is defined by a 60-day gap in service (and must overlap with designated year; but need not begin or end within it). Unknown indicates that prior hospital stay status could not be determined within the data observation period.

²Less than 0.5 percentage points.

NOTES: Because of rounding, reported difference may not equal the difference between reported 1997 and 1999 amounts. Medicare expenditures used to group States are from Medicare Home Health Agency National State Summary, dated May 26, 2000, and the enrollment data are from the Health Care Financing Administration Web site http://cms.hhs.gov/statistics/enrollment/stenrtrend95_98.asp. Historic growth is based on the percentage change in spending per enrollee between 1990 and 1994.

SOURCE: Komisar, H. L., Georgetown University, 2002.