Table 1.

Patient characteristics.

	High cost (n=786)	Non-high cost (n=7063)	P value
Age, mean years (SD)	60.7 (16.3)	62.3 (17.3)	0.012
Category (%)
18–45	17.3	15.9	0.274
46–69	51.2	46.3	0.113
70–79	20.7	21.4	0.845
80+	10.8	16.4	0.007
Sex, male	59.6	56.1	0.063
Elixhauser comorbidity score (total)	6.12	5.28	<0.001
Congestive heart failure	14.8	9.1	<0.001
Pulmonary circulation disorder	5.6	3.5	0.003
Peripheral vascular disorder	10.1	10.8	0.527
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	19.0	12.4	<0.001
Diabetes	25.7	26.4	0.658
Renal failure	8.9	5.3	<0.001
Liver disease	6.6	5.4	0.185
Metastatic cancer	5.5	7.2	0.075
Solid tumour without metastases	13.3	13.3	0.988
Emergency Department visits within 12 months, mean	3.1	2.8	0.201
Intensive Care Unit admissions within 12 months, mean	1.3	1.0	<0.001
LOS, median days (IQR)
Acute LOS	38 (17–74)	4 (1–11)	<0.001
ICU LOS	26 (17–38)	4 (2–8)	<0.001
Total LOS	68 (49–103)	10 (4–20)	<0.001
Disposition (%)
Home	23.9	45.2	<0.001
Signed out against medical advice	0.1	0.7	0.029
Transferred to acute care	21.1	13.9	0.003
Transferred to long-term care	35.1	12.1	<0.001
In-hospital mortality	21.1	28.4	<0.001

SD: standard deviation; LOS: length of stay; IQR: interquartile range.