Table 3 Health-care utilization and demographic characteristics, Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD).

n

5,155,566

11,053,961

Age (years)

57.8

44.0

<0.0001

Sex

<0.0001

 Female

51.4

59.2

 Male

48.6

40.8

Payer

<0.0001

 Private

23.7

33.9

 Medicare

54.2

25.2

 Medicaid

16.5

33.1

 Self-pay

2.4

3.9

 No charge

0.4

0.5

Location

<0.0001

 Large metro (central)

26.6

26.8

 Large metro (fringe)

27.3

26.1

 Medium metro

20.1

20.2

 Small metro

9.8

10.4

 Micropolitan

9.2

9.4

 Nonmetro, nonmicropolitan

7.1

7.2

Elective

<0.0001

 Elective admission

17.0

21.7

 Nonelective admission

83.0

78.3

Discharge disposition

<0.0001

 Routine

59.0

77.2

 Transfer to short-term hospital

1.2

0.6

 Transfer to other facility

17.8

9.7

 Home health care

17.0

10.2

 Left against medical advice

1.0

1.3

 Died

4.0

1.0

Income quartile by ZIP code ($)

<0.0001

 1–42,999

29.1

30.4

 43,000–53,999

25.6

25.4

 54,000–70,999

25.6

25.2

 71,000+

19.7

18.9

Diagnoses per discharge (number)

<0.0001

 0

0.0

0.1

 1–5

9.2

38.2

 6–10

22.1

29.8

 11–15

27.3

17.4

Procedures per discharge (number)

<0.0001

 0

29.1

30.4

 1–5

25.6

25.4

 6–10

25.6

25.2

 11–15

19.7

18.9

Same day event

<0.0001

 No transfer

95.9

98.0

 Two or more different hospitals

3.8

1.9

Hospital state residency

<0.0001

 Resident

94.3

95.7

 Nonresident

5.7

4.3

Rehabilitation transfer

<0.0001

 No transfer

99.7

99.8

 To rehabilitation, evaluation or other

0.3

0.2

Missing values not displayed