Table 1.
Balance: Demographics and Comorbidities
| 1st Quartile | 2nd Quartile | 3rd Quartile | 4th Quartile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambulance Avg log(Hospital Spending) | 8.830 | 8.914 | 8.938 | 9.017** |
| Predicted One-Year Mortality | 0.333 | 0.332 | 0.332 | 0.333 |
| One-Year Mortality | 0.380 | 0.366 | 0.351 | 0.362** |
| Patient Age | 81.461 | 81.277 | 81.330 | 81.394 |
| Male | 0.376 | 0.383 | 0.377 | 0.379 |
| Race: White | 0.888 | 0.885 | 0.885 | 0.880** |
| Race: Black | 0.076 | 0.078 | 0.077 | 0.080** |
| Race: Other | 0.035 | 0.036 | 0.037 | 0.038** |
| Miles Transported with Patient | 7.088 | 6.915 | 6.861 | 7.066 |
| Ambulance: Emergency Transport | 0.655 | 0.673 | 0.673 | 0.656 |
| Ambulance: Advanced Life Support | 0.867 | 0.870 | 0.871 | 0.860 |
| Ambulance IV Fluids Administered | 0.059 | 0.057 | 0.061 | 0.056 |
| Ambulance: Intubation Performed | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Patient Origin: Home or Nursing Home | 0.792 | 0.812 | 0.813 | 0.784 |
| Comorbidity: Hypertension | 0.184 | 0.182 | 0.173 | 0.182 |
| Comorbidity: Stroke | 0.022 | 0.019 | 0.018 | 0.020 |
| Comorbidity: Cerebrovascular Disease | 0.031 | 0.029 | 0.028 | 0.030 |
| Comorbidity: Renal Failure Disease | 0.049 | 0.048 | 0.045 | 0.049 |
| Comorbidity: Dialysis | 0.004 | 0.004 | 0.004 | 0.005 |
| Comorbidity: COPD | 0.089 | 0.087 | 0.085 | 0.086 |
| Comorbidity: Pneumonia | 0.060 | 0.056 | 0.055 | 0.057** |
| Comorbidity: Diabetes | 0.083 | 0.080 | 0.078 | 0.080 |
| Comorbidity: Protein Caloria Malnutrition | 0.019 | 0.016 | 0.015 | 0.017 |
| Comorbidity: Dementia | 0.059 | 0.050 | 0.048 | 0.055** |
| Comorbidity: Paralysis | 0.025 | 0.022 | 0.020 | 0.023** |
| Comorbidity: Peripheral Vascular Disease | 0.048 | 0.046 | 0.044 | 0.046 |
| Comorbidity: Metastatic Cancer | 0.026 | 0.026 | 0.025 | 0.025 |
| Comorbidity: Trauma | 0.036 | 0.032 | 0.030 | 0.034** |
| Comorbidity: Substance Abuse | 0.023 | 0.024 | 0.022 | 0.023 |
| Comorbidity: Major Psych. Disorder | 0.015 | 0.013 | 0.012 | 0.014 |
| Comorbidity: Chronic Liver Disease | 0.003 | 0.004 | 0.004 | 0.004 |
Note: N=351,701. Some ambulance measures have smaller sample sizes, largely because they are not recorded in the in the outpatient reimbursement system. N=330,607 for Ambulance measures for Advanced Life Support, IV administration and distance travelled. Columns correspond to quartiles based on the difference in ambulance company average hospital spending relative to average hospital spending in the ZIP, mirroring our estimation strategy. The last column reports significance test for difference between 1st and 4th Quartile means
*
p < 0.05;
**
p < 0.01
Source: 2002–2010 Medicare Part A Claims Data