Table 2. Care Cascade-Attributable Event Rates and Spending After Preoperative Electrocardiogram for Cataract Surgery.
| Event Rate per 100 Beneficiaries | Group, No. (%) | Cascade-Attributable Event Rate | Adjusted Cascade-Attributable Event Rate (95% CI)a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EKG (n = 12 408) | Comparison (n = 97 775) | |||
| All | ||||
| Events | 6259 (50.4) | 36 173 (37.0) | 13.4 | 10.92 (9.76-12.08)b |
| Tests | 3654 (29.5) | 19 488 (19.9) | 9.6 | 7.98 (7.12-8.84)b |
| Treatments | 74 (0.6) | 368 (0.4) | 0.22 | 0.33 (0.19-0.46)b |
| Tests and treatments | ||||
| Electrocardiogram | 1697 (13.7) | 10 471 (10.7) | 3.0 | 1.81 (1.20-2.42)b |
| Stress test | 503 (4.1) | 1928 (2.0) | 2.1 | 2.03 (1.74-2.32)b |
| Echocardiogram | 859 (6.9) | 3625 (3.7) | 3.2 | 2.90 (2.51-3.28)b |
| Myocardial perfusion test | 259 (2.1) | 1065 (1.1) | 1.0 | 0.94 (0.73-1.15)b |
| Event/Holter monitor | 204 (1.6) | 916 (0.9) | 0.71 | 0.68 (0.49-0.88)b |
| Cardiac catheterization | 28 (0.2) | 121 (0.1) | 0.10 | 0.15 (0.07-0.23)b |
| Visits and hospitalizations | ||||
| All cardiac specialist visits | 1196 (9.6) | 7060 (7.2) | 2.4 | 1.27 (0.78-1.76)b |
| New patient cardiac specialist visit | 336 (2.7) | 1146 (1.2) | 1.5 | 1.40 (1.18-1.62)b |
| Cardiac specialist visit for abnormal finding | 122 (1.0) | 262 (0.3) | 0.72 | 0.57 (0.46-0.68)b |
| Cardiac hospitalization | 49 (0.4) | 284 (0.3) | 0.10 | 0.15 (0.04-0.26)b |
| Diagnoses | ||||
| New cardiac diagnosis | 1286 (10.4) | 8973 (9.2) | 1.2 | 1.21(0.62-1.79)b |
| Medicare spending per beneficiary, mean (SD), $ | ||||
| Allowable charges related to cascade events in 90-d period | 1789 (14 489) | 1201 (10 999) | 588 | 565 (348-781)b |
| Total Medicare allowable charges in 90-d period | 11 666 (22 235) | 9880 (18 021) | 1786 | 1707 (1358-2055)b |
Abbreviation: EKG, electrocardiogram.
a
The multivariable model included the following covariates: age, sex, race, Medicaid enrollment, Elixhauser condition count, disability (if reason for Medicare eligibility), end-stage renal disease (if reason for Medicare eligibility), and setting of residence.
b
Statistically significant at P < .05.