Table 1.
Patient characteristics
| Characteristic | All Ages | Age < 18 years | Age ≥ 18 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients | 11,631,556 | 5,333,333 | 6,293,223 |
| Age, mean (SD), years | 24.5 (18.5) | 8.4 (4.9) | 38.0 (14.4) |
| Sex, % | |||
| Male | 41.9 | 48.5 | 36.3 |
| Female | 58.1 | 51.6 | 63.7 |
| Region of the United States, % | |||
| Northeast | 17.7 | 18.1 | 17.4 |
| North central | 22.5 | 23.3 | 21.8 |
| South | 42.9 | 42.7 | 43.0 |
| West | 14.7 | 13.5 | 15.8 |
| Unknown | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| Health plan type, %a | |||
| Managed care (EPO/HMO) | 12.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 |
| Preferred provider (POS/PPO) | 71.0 | 70.5 | 71.5 |
| High deductible (CDHP/HDHP) | 11.6 | 12.0 | 11.3 |
| Unknown | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.7 |
| Distinct acute pharyngitis events, 2011–2015, % | |||
| 1 | 68.2 | 56.4 | 78.3 |
| 2 | 18.2 | 21.7 | 15.3 |
| 3 | 6.8 | 10.0 | 4.2 |
| ≥4 | 6.7 | 11.9 | 2.3 |
aManaged care is with an established physician network to receive care: HMO, health maintenance organization, EPO, exclusive provider organization; Preferred provider is with an established physician network and the option to see provider out of the network generally with increased fees: POS, point of service; POS with cap, point of service with capitation; PPO, preferred provider organization; High deductible requires members to pay for services out of pocket until a limit is reached: HDHP, high-deductible health plan. Some include reimbursement from an account before the insurance starts: CDHP, consumer-driven health plan