Table 3.

2012 Spending by Nurses' Health Study Participants and Matched Medicare Beneficiaries

Spending category	NHS participants (N = 47,194)	Matched Medicare cohort, = (N = 47,194)	p-Value	Total difference in spendinga(95% CI)	Relative differencebin spending (%)
Mean standardized Medicare spending (95% CI)
Total	$10,138 ($9,970–$10,306)	$8,904 ($8,751–$9,057)	<0.01	$1,234 ($1,006–$1,461)	14
Inpatient hospital	$3,889 ($3,776–$4,001)	$3,344 ($3,239– $3,449)	<0.01	$545 ($391–$699)	16
Outpatient hospital	$1,344 ($1,308–$1,381)	$1,142 ($1,113–$1,172)	<0.01	$202 ($155–$249)	18
Professional services	$3,901 ($3,848–$3,954)	$3,469 ($3,423–$3,514)	<0.01	$432 ($363–$502)	12
Durable medical equipment	$204 ($190–$219)	$193 ($176–$210)	0.31	$12 (−$11 to $34)	6
Hospice	$333 ($302–$364)	$287 ($257–$317)	0.03	$46 ($3–$89)	16
Home health Agency	$467 ($450–$484)	$470 ($453–$486)	0.80	−$3 (−$27 to $21)	−1
Part B professional services (95% CI)
E/M visits	$1,416 ($1,401–$1,432)	$1,299 ($1,285–$1,313)	<0.01	$117 ($97–$138)	9
Procedures	$1,120 ($1,102–$1,138)	$988 ($970–$1,007)	<0.01	$132 ($106–$157)	13
Laboratory tests	$380 ($375–$386)	$349 ($344–$354)	<0.01	$31 ($24–$38)	9
Imaging studies	$358 ($353–$362)	$328 ($324–$333)	<0.01	$29 ($23–$36)	9
Durable medical Equipment	$628 ($592–$661)	$504 ($477–$530)	<0.01	$123 ($80–$166)	24

Data are displayed as the excess in spending of NHS participants above matched Medicare controls, both overall and according to Elixhauser health status.

^aThe difference in spending is calculated: (Spending by NHS participants) − (Spending by matched Medicare cohort). Negative numbers indicate less spending by NHS participants than Medicare controls.

^bRelative difference in spending is calculated as: (Total difference in spending/spending by NHS participants). Negative numbers indicate lower spending by NHS participants than Medicare controls.