Baseline Characteristics of Veterans Enrolled Between 2016 and 2019 Stratified by Non-VA Alert Status
| Variable | Alert (n = 197) | No Alert (n = 368) | Overall (n = 565) |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) or Mean ± SD | No. (%) or Mean ± SD | No. (%) or Mean ± SD | |
| Male sex | 194 (98.5) | 361 (98.1) | 555 (98.3) |
| Age, years* | 77.1 ± 8.0 | 75.2 ± 7.5 | 75.8 ± 7.7 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| White | 134 (68.0) | 210 (57.1) | 344 (60.9) |
| Black | 36 (18.3) | 79 (21.5) | 115 (20.4) |
| Hispanic | 18 (9.1) | 52 (14.1) | 70 (12.4) |
| Asian | 1 (0.5) | 1 (0.3) | 2 (0.4) |
| Multiracial | 3 (1.5) | 9 (2.5) | 12 (2.1) |
| Other | 5 (2.5) | 17 (4.6) | 22 (3.9) |
| Total annual individual income, $ | |||
| 0 to 10,000 | 10 (5.1) | 19 (5.2) | 29 (5.1) |
| 10,001 to 25,000 | 62 (31.5) | 119 (32.3) | 181 (32.0) |
| 25,001 to 50,000 | 54 (27.4) | 116 (31.5) | 170 (30.1) |
| 50,001 to 100,000 | 38 (19.3) | 78 (21.2) | 116 (20.5) |
| 100,001 to 250,000 | 13 (6.6) | 8 (2.2) | 21 (3.7) |
| > 250,000 | 2 (1.0) | 0 | 2 (0.4) |
| Unknown/refused | 18 (9.1) | 28 (7.6) | 46 (8.1) |
| Insurance type | |||
| Medicare | 174 (88.3) | 321 (87.2) | 495 (87.6) |
| Medicaid | 19 (9.6) | 41 (11.1) | 60 (10.6) |
| Private* | 116 (58.9) | 179 (48.6) | 295 (52.2) |
| Perceived health status | |||
| Excellent | 14 (7.1) | 32 (8.7) | 46 (8.2) |
| Very good | 37 (18.9) | 88 (23.9) | 125 (22.2) |
| Good | 67 (34.2) | 145 (39.4) | 212 (37.6) |
| Fair | 65 (33.2) | 84 (22.8) | 149 (26.4) |
| Poor | 13 (6.6) | 19 (5.2) | 32 (5.7) |
| Any service connectedness | 103 (52.3) | 184 (50.0) | 287 (50.8) |
| Chronic conditions | |||
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | 1.4 ± 1.6 | 1.4 ± 1.9 | 1.4 ± 1.8 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 35 (17.8) | 66 (17.9) | 101 (17.9) |
| Congestive heart failure | 20 (10.2) | 35 (9.5) | 55 (9.7) |
| Diabetes | 86 (43.7) | 160 (43.5) | 246 (43.5) |
| Enrollment site | |||
| Bronx, NY | 90 (45.7) | 190 (51.6) | 280 (49.6) |
| Indianapolis, IN | 107 (54.3) | 178 (48.4) | 285 (50.4) |
| Travel time to VA, minutes* | 43.0 ± 28.6 | 37.6 ± 24.6 | 39.5 ± 26.2 |
| RUCA†* | |||
| Metropolitan | 152 (77.2) | 323 (87.8) | 475 (84.1) |
| Micropolitan | 25 (12.7) | 29 (7.9) | 54 (9.6) |
| Small town | 6 (3.1) | 6 (1.6) | 12 (2.8) |
| Rural | 9 (4.6) | 7 (1.9) | 16 (2.8) |
| Unknown | 5 (2.5) | 3 (0.8) | 8 (1.4) |
| VA use in year before enrollment | |||
| Total # VA ED visits | 0.7 ± 1.7 | 0.7 ± 1.4 | 0.7 ± 1.5 |
| VA hospitalization | 22 (11.2) | 54 (14.7) | 76 (13.5) |
| Receives majority of care* | |||
| VA | 146 (74.1) | 313 (85.1) | 459 (81.2) |
| Non-VA | 46 (23.4) | 48 (13.0) | 94 (16.6) |
| Unknown/refused | 5 (2.5) | 7 (1.9) | 12 (2.1) |
| Has a regular non-VA provider* | 119 (60.4) | 181 (49.2) | 300 (53.1) |
| (Yes, No) |
ED, emergency department; VA, Veterans Affairs; SD, standard deviation.
↵* Bivariate analysis for Alert and No Alert comparisons was statistically significant at P < .05.
↵† Rural-urban commuting area codes:
Metropolitan, population > 50,000.
Micropolitan, population 10,000-49,999.
Small town, population 2500-9999.
Rural, population < 2500.