Distribution of the healthcare utilisation characteristics of the three groups (n=478 051)
| Variable | All n (%) | Cost groups n (%)/mean (SD) | F values | ||
| HC | MC | LC | |||
| Outpatient no | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 7.34 (8.26) | 8.28 (9.1) | 13.57 (11.63) | 5.05 (4.89) | 58 639.94* |
| Outpatient level (time) | |||||
| County | 0.55 (1.51) | 1.76 (2.85) | 1.27 (2.26) | 0.21 (0.66) | 34 430.07* |
| Township | 1.96 (4.14) | 2.16 (4.5) | 3.69 (6.48) | 1.32 (2.57) | 15 398.27* |
| Clinic | 4.83 (7.71) | 4.36 (7.72) | 8.61 (11.78) | 3.52 (4.94) | 20 854.66* |
| Inpatient no | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 0.23 (1.21) | 2.36 (4.33) | 0.45 (1) | 0 (0.02) | 55 409.19* |
| 0 | 409 682 (85.70) | 17 (0.07) | 75 207 (62.94) | 334 458 (99.95) | 274 894.92† |
| 1–3 | 64 955 (13.59) | 20 840 (87.12) | 43 936 (36.77) | 179 (0.05) | |
| 4–7 | 2736 (0.57) | 2447 (10.23) | 289 (0.24) | 0 (0) | |
| More than 8 | 678 (0.14) | 618 (2.58) | 60 (0.05) | 0 (0) | |
| Inpatient level (time) | |||||
| Outside the county | 0.04 (0.38) | 0.58 (1.53) | 0.04 (0.22) | 0.01 (0.01) | 28 920.75* |
| County | 0.14 (1.07) | 1.49 (4.09) | 0.25 (0.90) | 0.01 (0.01) | 24 788.76* |
| Township | 0.06 (0.32) | 0.29 (0.96) | 0.16 (0.45) | 0.01 (0.02) | 18 940.21* |
| Annual LOS | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 2.09 (10.66) | 25.46 (36.69) | 3.28 (7.91) | 0.01 (0.1) | 88 485.86* |
*Pearson’s χ2 test.
†ANOVA.
ANOVA, analysis of variance; HC, high cost; LC, low cost; LOS, length of stay; MC, moderate cost.