TABLE 1.
Baseline patient characteristics (%) of ≥65 years old patients in VHA (n = 80,070) and MarketScan (n = 129,200)
| Covariates | VHA (n = 80,070) | MarketScan (n = 129,200) |
|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic‐related | ||
| Age, mean (±SD) | 76.8 (±7.6) | 70.5 (±5.9) |
| Age category | ||
| 65–69 | 18,814 (23.5) | 73,448 (56.9) |
| 70–74 | 13,548 (16.9) | 27,592 (21.4) |
| ≥75 | 47,708 (59.6) | 28,160 (21.8) |
| Female gender | 3540 (4.4) | 84,480 (65.4) |
| Race: White | 72,761 (90.9) | — |
| Black | 6404 (8.0) | — |
| Other | 905 (1.1) | — |
| Married | 55,673 (69.5) | — |
| VHA only insurance | 13,216 (16.5) | — |
| Region | ||
| Northeast | 9353 (11.7) | 51,329 (39.7) |
| Northcentral | 32,711 (40.8) | 22,591 (17.5) |
| South | 28,846 (36.0) | 32,879 (25.5) |
| West | 9160 (11.4) | 22,401 (17.3) |
| High healthcare utilization a | 20,004 (25.0) | 32,351 (25.0) |
| # well‐visits 2 years prior to index, mean (±SD) b | 1.0 (±2.1) | 1.5 (±0.8) |
| # well‐visits 2 years prior to index, category b | ||
| 0 | 45,262 (56.5) | 14,186 (11.0) |
| 1–2 | 26,124 (32.6) | 104,921 (81.2) |
| ≥3 | 8684 (10.9) | 10,093 (7.8) |
| Comorbidities | ||
| Cancer | 26,644 (33.3) | 26,119 (20.2) |
| Type II diabetes | 26,594 (33.2) | 20,424 (15.8) |
| Obesity | 26,070 (32.6) | 7703 (6.0) |
| Hypertension | 66,803 (83.4) | 78,550 (60.8) |
| Stroke | 3932 (4.9) | 2350 (1.8) |
| Ischemic heart disease | 35,085 (43.8) | 19,747 (15.3) |
| Congestive heart failure | 13,386 (16.7) | 4426 (3.4) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 14,878 (18.6) | 7847 (6.1) |
| Asthma | 6118 (7.6) | 9697 (7.5) |
| chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 18,094 (22.6) | 8372 (6.5) |
| Traumatic brain injury | 2298 (2.9) | 2316 (1.8) |
| Vitamin B12 deficiency | 4935 (6.2) | 3600 (2.8) |
| Depression | 7143 (8.9) | 4762 (3.7) |
| Anxiety disorder c | 6457 (8.1) | 4153 (3.2) |
| Nicotine dependence | 20,488 (25.6) | 6341 (4.9) |
| Alcohol abuse/dependence | 3173 (4.0) | 570 (0.4) |
| Drug abuse/dependence | 895 (1.1) | 198 (0.2) |
| Medications d | ||
| Anticholinergics | 9325 (11.7) | 14,532 (11.3) |
| NSAIDS | 9098 (11.4) | 12,032 (9.3) |
| Antihypertensives | 56,107 (70.1) | 64,578 (50.0) |
| Statins | 45,003 (56.2) | 49,736 (38.5) |
| Steroids | 8261 (10.3) | 7293 (5.6) |
| Antivirals | 903 (1.1) | 2479 (1.9) |
| Metformin | 9757 (12.2) | 9274 (7.2) |
| Sulfonylurea | 9412 (11.8) | 4574 (3.5) |
| Antidepressants | 11,736 (14.7) | 16,345 (12.7) |
| Benzodiazepines | 4348 (5.4) | 7850 (6.1) |
Abbreviation: VHA, Veterans Health Administration.
High healthcare utilization = Average number of outpatient clinic visits per month, calculated as total visits divided by number of months. Total visits is the total number of visits in the 2 years prior to index. Number of months followed is the difference between the first and last visit in 2 years prior to index. The distribution of the mean is then dichotomized into high utilizer, >75th percentile versus low utilizer, ≤75th percentile.
Well‐visits measured in the in the 2 years prior to index, not well‐visits used to sample cohort.
Anxiety disorders = panic disorder, OCD, social phobia, GAD, Anxiety NOS.
Medications = sustained use prior to index (at least two fills in a 6‐month period).