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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Health Aff (Millwood). 2018 Dec;37(12):2014–2023. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05091

Exhibit 1:

Acute Respiratory Infections Visits to Direct to Consumer Telemedicine, Primary Care Providers, and Urgent Care Facilitites in the Unmatched and Matched Samples, 2015–16

Unmatched Visitsd Matched Visitse
DTC Telemedicine PCP Urgent Care DTC Telemedicine PCP Urgent Care
Overall (N) 39,974 1,084,056 212,837 38,839 942,613 186,016
N % N % N % N % N % N %
Age Category
 18–34 years old 12,979 32 360,129 33 92,369 43 12,752 33 309,488 33 61,075 33
 35–44 years old 12,637 32 248,321 23 53,185 25 12,289 32 298,251 32 58,857 32
 45–54 years old 9,213 23 250,865 23 39,714 19 8,848 23 214,739 23 42,377 23
 55–64 years old 5,145 13 224,741 21 27,569 13 4,950 13 120,135 13 23,708 13
Gender
 Female 25,271 63 680,629 63f 130,061 61 24,627 63 597,691 63 117,949 63
 Male 14,703 37 403,427 37 f 82,776 39 14,212 37 344,922 37 68,067 37
Chronic Illness Presencea
 No Chronic Illness 30,730 77 751,140 69 161,572 76 30,029 77 728,796 77 143,821 77
 Chronic Illness 9,244 23 332,916 31 51,265 24 8,810 23 213,817 23 42,195 23
Rural/Urban
 Metropolitan 37,407 94 981,430 91 198,974 93 37,007 95 898,151 95 177,242 95
 Micropolitan 1,615 4 61,633 6 9,783 5 1,316 3 31,939 3 6,303 3
 Small Town/Rural 952 2 40,993 4 4,080 2 516 1 12,523 1 2,471 1
Region
 Northeast 6,840 17 329,122 30 20,304 10 6,725 17 163,214 17 32,209 17
 Midwest 6,518 16 166,804 15 32,375 15 6,117 16 148,458 16 29,297 16
 South 20,278 51 407,724 38 102,100 48 19,799 51 480,517 51 94,826 51
 West 6,338 16 180,406 17 58,058 27 6,198 16 150,424 16 29,685 16
High Deductible Health Plan
 No 34,050 85 1,015,954 94 199,059 94 33,555 86 814,372 86 160,709 86
 Yes 5,924 15 68,102 6 13,778 6 5,284 14 128,241 14 25,307 14
Diagnosis Categoryb
 Sinusitis 16,628 42 338,656 31 62,699 29 16,168 42 392,393 42 77,435 42
 Streptococcal Pharyngitis 747 2 32,203 3 12,649 6 669 2 16,236 2 3,204 2
 Otitis Media 647 2 60,081 6 14,894 7 603 2 14635 2 2,888 2
 Bronchitis/Bronchiolitis 5,792 14 172,837 16 31,212 15f 5547 14 134624 14 26,567 14
 Other Viral ARIsc 16,160 40 490,839 45 94,092 44 15852 41 384724 41 75,922 41

Source: Authors’ analysis of data from 2015-2016 claims from a large national insurer.

Notes: DTC is direct-to-consumer. HDHP is high deductible health plan. PCP is primary care provider. ARI is acute respiratory infection.

a

Presence or absence of patient’s chronic medical conditions was determined using the Charlson Comorbidity Index.

b

A small percentage (1.0%) of visits had more than one of these diagnoses, so the percentages of the diagnosis categories may sum up to be greater than 100%.

c

The other viral ARIs category consists of diagnoses where antibiotics are not indicated (e.g., viral upper respiratory infection, viral pharyngitis, and non-suppurative otitis), with the exception that bronchitis/bronchiolitis is separately categorized.

d

All categories in the unmatched sample have a p value that is <0.001, expect when otherwise indicated.

e

All categories in the matched sample have a p value that is equal to 1. Counts within categories in the matched sample may exceed column total because of weighted frequencies are rounded to whole numbers.

f

The indicated estimate did not differ significantly from DTC telemedicine estimates (p>0.05).