Table 1.
Descriptive Characteristics.
| Palliative care | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | No | Yes | ||
| In-patient admissions | N (%) | 8521 (100.00) | 8200 (96.23) | 321 (3.77) |
| Age in years at admission (mean, S.D.) | N | 8517 | 8196 | 321 |
| Mean (SD) | 55.6 (14.8) | 55.5 (14.7) | 58.9 (14.9 | |
| Length of stay (mean, S.D.) | N | 8518 | 8197 | 321 |
| Mean (SD) | 7.80 (13.21) | 7.73 (12.44) | 9.51 (25.98) | |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | N (%) | 4004 (47.02) | 3842 (46.88) | 162 (50.47) |
| Female | N (%) | 4512 (52.98) | 4353 (53.12) | 159 (49.53) |
| Race+ | ||||
| White | N (%) | 5737 (77.92) | 5512 (77.95) | 225 (77.05) |
| Black | N (%) | 729 (9.90) | 701 (9.91) | 28 (9.59) |
| Hispanic | N (%) | 575 (7.81) | 550 (7.78) | 25 (8.56) |
| Asian or Pacific Islander/ Native American/ Other | N (%) | 322 (4.37) | 308 (4.36) | 14 (4.79) |
| Disposition of patient | ||||
| Routine | N (%) | 2741 (32.17) | 2725 (33.23) | 16 (4.98) |
| Facility | N (%) | 4431 (52.00) | 4300 (52.44) | 131 (40.81) |
| Home health care | N (%) | 1048 (12.30) | 977 (11.91) | 71 (22.12) |
| Died | N (%) | 301 (3.53) | 198 (2.41) | 103 (32.09) |
| Primary expected payer | ||||
| Medicare | N (%) | 5104 (60.00) | 4914 (60.04) | 190 (59.19) |
| Medicaid | N (%) | 1750 (20.57) | 1700 (20.77) | 50 (15.58) |
| Private insurer | N (%) | 1244 (14.62) | 1185 (14.48) | 59 (18.38) |
| Self-pay/ No charge/ Other | N (%) | 408 (4.80) | 386 (4.72) | 22 (6.85) |
| Bed size of hospital | ||||
| Small | N (%) | 1316 (15.55) | 1271 (15.61) | 45 (14.11) |
| Medium | N (%) | 2185 (25.82) | 2116 (25.99) | 69 (21.63) |
| Large | N (%) | 4960 (58.62) | 4755 (58.40) | 205 (64.26) |
| Median household income national quartile for patient ZIP Code | ||||
| 0 to 25th percentile | N (%) | 2569 (30.81) | 2492 (31.06) | 77 (24.44) |
| 26th to 50th percentile | N (%) | 2365 (28.36) | 2283 (28.46) | 82 (26.03) |
| 51st to 75th percentile | N (%) | 1877 (22.51) | 1810 (22.56) | 67 (21.27) |
| 76th to 100th percentile | N (%) | 1527 (18.31) | 1438 (17.92) | 89 (28.25) |
| All Patient Refined D.R.G.: Risk of Mortality Subclass | ||||
| Minor likelihood of dying* | N (%) | 3030 (35.56) | 2987 (36.43) | 43 (13.40) |
| Moderate likelihood of dying | N (%) | 3082 (36.17) | 3012 (36.73) | 70 (21.81) |
| Major likelihood of dying | N (%) | 1716 (20.14) | 1605 (19.57) | 111 (34.58) |
| Extreme likelihood of dying | N (%) | 693 (8.13) | 596 (7.27) | 97 (30.22) |
| DNR order | ||||
| No | N (%) | 7956 (93.37) | 7767 (94.72) | 189 (58.88) |
| Yes | N (%) | 565 (6.63) | 433 (5.28) | 132 (41.12) |
| Pneumonia (except caused by T.B. or S.T.I.s) | ||||
| No | N (%) | 7582 (88.98) | 7321 (89.28) | 261 (81.31) |
| Yes | N (%) | 939 (11.02) | 879 (10.72) | 60 (18.69) |
| Aspiration pneumonia | ||||
| No | N (%) | 7366 (86.45) | 7154 (87.24) | 212 (66.04) |
| Yes | N (%) | 1155 (13.55) | 1046 (12.76) | 109 (33.96) |
| Respiratory failure | ||||
| No | N (%) | 7629 (89.53) | 7415 (90.43) | 214 (66.67) |
| Yes | N (%) | 892 (10.47) | 785 (9.57) | 107 (33.33) |
| Septicemia (excludes labor) | ||||
| No | N (%) | 7339 (86.13) | 7116 (86.78) | 223 (69.47) |
| Yes | N (%) | 1182 (13.87) | 1084 (13.22) | 98 (30.53) |
| Urinary tract infection | ||||
| No | N (%) | 6862 (80.53) | 6597 (80.45) | 265 (82.55) |
| Yes | N (%) | 1659 (19.47) | 1603 (19.55) | 56 (17.45) |
| Fall | ||||
| No | N (%) | 7857 (92.21) | 7558 (92.17) | 299 (93.15) |
| Yes | N (%) | 664 (7.79) | 642 (7.83) | 22 (6.85) |
| AHRQ co-morbidity measure: Depression | ||||
| No | N (%) | 6851 (80.40) | 6580 (80.24) | 271 (84.42) |
| Yes | N (%) | 1670 (19.60) | 1620 (19.76) | 50 (15.58) |
| AHRQ co-morbidity measure: Psychoses | ||||
| No | N (%) | 7405 (86.90) | 7117 (86.79) | 288 (89.72) |
| Yes | N (%) | 1116 (13.10) | 1083 (13.21) | 33 (10.28) |
+
There are 1158 (13.59%) subjects missing in race.
*
4 (0.05%) subjects classified as “No class specified” were incorporated into the category: Minor likelihood of dying.