Table 1.
Characteristics of Subjects Meeting Three Definitions of Serious Illness and Comparison Group
| Criteria A | Criteria B | Criteria C | Comparison Groupa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 5,297 | 3,151 | 1,447 | 4,841b |
| Age, mean (SD), years | 78.2 (8.4) | 80.1 (8.4) | 82.4 (8.4) | 75.3 (6.9) |
| Female, n (%) | 3,201 (60.4) | 1,950 (61.9) | 972 (67.2) | 2,811 (58.1) |
| Race | ||||
| Non‐Hispanic white, n (%) | 3,993 (75.4) | 2,389 (75.8) | 1,070 (73.9) | 4,039 (83.4) |
| African American, n (%) | 812 (15.3) | 497 (15.8) | 241 (16.7) | 470 (9.7) |
| Hispanic, n (%) | 398 (7.5) | 211 (6.7) | 108 (7.5) | 247 (5.1) |
| Other, n (%) | 94 (1.8 | 54 (1.7) | 28 (1.9) | 85 (1.8) |
| Education | ||||
| Less than high school degree, n (%) | 1,899 (35.9) | 1,183 (37.5) | 621 (42.9) | 1,004 (20.7) |
| High school degree/some college, n (%) | 2,676 (50.5) | 1,558 (49.4) | 664 (45.9) | 2,812 (58.1) |
| Four‐year college degree, n (%) | 722 (13.6) | 410 (13.0) | 162 (11.2) | 1,025 (21.2) |
| Self‐rated health, fair/poor, n (%) | 3,139 (59.4) | 2,092 (66.5) | 1,103 (76.3) | 1,177 (24.3) |
| Married, n (%) | 2,432 (45.9) | 1,227 (38.9) | 467 (32.3) | 2,810 (58.0) |
| Net worth, mean (SD) | $408,704 ($1,006,942) | $359,725 ($957,779) | $285,472 ($842,234) | $718,328 ($1,558,112) |
| Severe medical conditionsc | ||||
| Alzheimer's/dementia, n (%) | 1,177 (22.2) | 960 (30.5) | 813 (56.2) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Cancer, n (%) | 474 (8.9) | 240 (7.6) | 87 (6.0) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| End‐stage renal disease, n (%) | 622 (11.7) | 486 (15.4) | 258 (17.8) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Congestive heart failure, n (%) | 343 (6.5) | 393 (12.5) | 207 (14.3) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, n (%) | 783 (14.8) | 608 (19.3) | 281 (19.4) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 1,043 (19.7) | 661 (21.0) | 357 (24.7) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Liver disease, n (%) | 296 (5.6) | 121 (3.8) | 47 (3.2) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Hip fracture, n (%) | 158 (3.0) | 177 (5.6) | 121 (8.4) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Three or more comorbid conditionsd, n (%) | 4,455 (84.1) | 2,987 (94.8) | 1,406 (97.2) | 2,063 (42.6) |
| Functional status | ||||
| Stable, independent in ADLs, n (%) | 2,882 (54.6) | 1,475 (47.1) | 0 (0.0) | 4,841 (100) |
| Stable, moderate debility (1–3 ADL impairments), n (%) | 373 (7.1) | 279 (8.9) | 209 (14.6) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Stable, severe debility (4–6 ADL impairments), n (%) | 187 (3.5) | 175 (5.6) | 155 (10.8) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Declined, independent to moderate, n (%) | 1,310 (25.3) | 648 (21.0) | 536 (38.0) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Declined, independent to severe, n (%) | 377 (7.3) | 371 (12.0) | 354 (25.1) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Declined, moderate to severe, n (%) | 147 (2.8) | 183 (5.9) | 181 (12.8) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Characteristic meeting criteria | ||||
| Any serious medical condition, n (%) | 4,004 (75.6) | 2,634 (83.6) | 1,447 (100) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Functional impairment, n (%) | 2,408 (45.5) | 1,670 (53.0) | 1,447 (100) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Medical condition and functional impairment, n (%) | 1,115 (21.0) | 1,153 (36.6) | 1,447 (100) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Nursing home resident, n (%) | 725 (13.7) | 926 (29.4) | 750 (51.8) | 31 (0.6) |
| Hospital admission, n (%) | 2,077 (39.2) | 2,671 (84.8) | 1,118 (77.3) | 389 (8.0) |
Criteria A = Condition and/or Functional Limitation. Criteria B = Condition and/or Functional Limitation and Utilization. Criteria C = Condition and Functional Limitation and Utilization. Comparison Group = Subjects not meeting any serious illness criteria.
Bold indicates the subjects' characteristics, which meet the criteria for each definition.
Subjects in the Comparison group differ significantly (p < .05) on all characteristics compared to those in Criteria A, B and C, respectively, except “Other” Race.
Due to cross‐sectional enrollment of the Comparison group, the size of this group cannot be directly compared to the other groups.
ALS and AIDS not reported due to HRS guidelines on cell size reporting restrictions.
Comorbid conditions were identified in Medicare claims (Elixhauser et al. 1998).