Hospitalized Patients of Generalists Compared with Those of Cardiologists*
| Demographic factors | ↑ age,7,12,14,18–20 ↑ female,7,12,14,18–20 ↑ minority,12,19 ↑ Medicare,7,14 ↓ commercial insurance7,14 |
| Clinical factors Cardiac | ↑ New York Heart Association Class (worse),12,19 ↑ Killip Class,12,18 ↑ tachycardia,12,19 ↓ prior myocardial infarction,12,18,19 ↑ prior congestive heart failure,7,12,14,19,20 ↓ cardiogenic shock,7,14 |
| Non-cardiac | ↓ cardiac arrest on admission,12,19 ↓ CABG, and ↓ angioplasty,7,12,14,19 ↑ GUSTO predicted mortality18,19 ↑ Prior hypertension,12,19 ↑ admission from nursing home,12 ↓ mobility,12,19,20 ↑ incontinence,12 ↑ prior stroke,12,18,19 ↑ diabetes,12,18–20 ↑ depression,19 ↑ dementia,12 ↑ renal,12,19,20 ↑ liver,12,19 ↑ obstructive lung disease,12,19 ↑ anemia,12,19 ↑ (DNR or terminal patients),12,19 ↓ ideal candidate for intervention12,19 ↑ admission severity score7,14 |
| Health system:(Hospitals) | ↓ size,19 ↓ MI volume,7,12,19 ↓ cardiac resources,12,18,19 ↑ rural,7,12,14,18,19 ↑ public,12 ↓ major teaching hospitals12 |
* Arrows indicate that the increase (↑) or decrease (↓) of patient or hospital variables for generalists relative to cardiologists is statistically significant.