Appendix to Chapter 4

Familiarity with studies about geographic variation in health care spending (0–4)

Female (1=yes)

−0.029

[0.164]

Region=West

−0.109

[0.187]

Region=Northeast

−0.073

[0.200]

Region=Midwest

−0.019

[0.212]

Political interest (0=hardly at all; 3=most of the time)

0.337

[0.084]**

Respondent PID (-3=Str. Dem; 0=Ind.; 3=Str. Rep.)

−0.01

[0.039]

Years in practice

0.014

[0.007]*

Residency take place at VA? (1=yes)

0.321

[0.147]*

Practice affiliated w/academic med center (1=yes)

0.241

[0.166]

Respondent specialty=Medical specialty

−0.187

[0.181]

Respondent specialty=Surgical care

0.103

[0.187]

Income source=Salary plus bonus

0.146

[0.202]

Income source=Billing only

0.112

[0.211]

Income source=Other (including shift work or wages)

0.673

[0.315]*

Practice Type=Office based (specialty group)

0.216

[0.378]

Practice Type=Hospital based

0.216

[0.180]

Practice Type=Other (including group or staff model HMO)

0.242

[0.211]

Constant

−0.355

[0.321]

Observations

324

R-squared

0.109

Mean of Dependent Variable

1.174

Note: OLS regression coefficients with robust standard errors in brackets. Dependent variable: 0=have not heard anything about studies; 1=not at all familiar; 2=only a bit familiar; 3=somewhat familiar; 4=very familiar. Omitted reference categories: Region=South; Respondent specialty=Primary Care; Income Source=Salary; Practice Type=Office based (solo or two-person). * significant at 5%; ** significant at 1%

Source: Fall 2015 survey of physicians.

Note: OLS regression coefficients with robust standard errors in brackets. Dependent variable: 1=item contributes “a lot”; 0=all other responses. Results are statistically and substantively similar when estimated using logistic regression. Omitted reference categories: Region=South; Respondent specialty=Primary Care; Income Source=Salary; Practice Type=Office based (solo or two-person).* significant at 5%; ** significant at 1%

Source: Fall 2015 survey of physicians.

Protecting clinical autonomy (1=not that important; 4=extremely important)

Identifying physicians not following best practices and bringing to board (1=not that important; 4=extremely important

Overuse of services of low or unproven value (1=none; 4=a lot)

0.028

[0.076]

0.198

[0.084]*

Health status and medical needs of Medicare patients (1=none; 4=a lot)

0.144

[0.060]*

0.036

[0.082]

Physicians’ beliefs in the value of certain treatments (1=none; 4=a lot)

0.151

[0.066]*

−0.072

[0.091]

How much Medicare pays physicians (1=none; 4=a lot)

0.083

[0.068]

0.124

[0.071]

Amount of care demanded by patients with the same condition (1=none; 4=a lot)

0.007

[0.079]

−0.041

[0.095]

Availability of expensive medical technologies (1=none; 4=a lot)

−0.073

[0.074]

0.207

[0.087]*

Threat of malpractice litigation is higher (1=none; 4=a lot)

0.106

[0.084]

0.026

[0.085]

Underuse of services of high or proven value (1=none; 4=a lot)

0

[0.084]

0.163

[0.092]

Female (1=yes)

0.118

[0.112]

−0.054

[0.133]

Region=West

−0.128

[0.119]

−0.021

[0.156]

Region=Northeast

−0.16

[0.113]

−0.053

[0.167]

Region=Midwest

−0.236

[0.140]

0.022

[0.159]

Political interest (0=hardly at all; 3=most of the time)

0.107

[0.062]

−0.026

[0.080]

Respondent PID (-3=Str. Dem; 0=Ind.; 3=Str. Rep.)

0.087

[0.027]**

0.018

[0.032]

Years in practice

−0.014

[0.005]**

−0.005

[0.006]

Residency take place at VA? (1=yes)

−0.005

[0.093]

−0.109

[0.116]

Practice affiliated w/academic med center (1=yes)

−0.107

[0.107]

0.024

[0.124]

Respondent specialty=Medical specialty

−0.048

[0.112]

0.253

[0.147]

Respondent specialty=Surgical care

−0.24

[0.120]*

−0.088

[0.163]

Income source=Salary plus bonus

−0.063

[0.123]

0.099

[0.160]

Income source=Billing only

−0.005

[0.125]

−0.096

[0.171]

Income source=Other (including shift work or wages)

−0.116

[0.232]

−0.092

[0.254]

Practice Type=Office based (specialty group)

0.026

[0.206]

−0.343

[0.321]

Practice Type=Hospital based

−0.015

[0.116]

−0.031

[0.151]

Practice Type=Other (including group or staff model HMO

−0.181

[0.141]

−0.006

[0.164]

Constant

2.16

[0.455]**

0.628

[0.579]

Observations

315

312

R-squared

0.165

0.127

Mean

3.177

2.397

Note: OLS regression coefficients with robust standard errors in brackets. Dependent variable: 1=not that important; 2=moderately important; 3=very important; 4=extremely important goal. Omitted reference categories: Region=South; Respondent specialty=Primary Care; Income Source=Salary; Practice Type=Office based (solo or two-person). * significant at 5%; ** significant at 1%

Source: Fall 2015 survey of physicians.

Note: OLS regression coefficients with robust standard errors in brackets. Dependent variable: 1=very/extremely important goal; 0=not that/moderately important goal. Results are statistically and substantively similar when estimated using logistic regression. Omitted reference categories: Region=South; Respondent specialty=Primary Care; Income Source=Salary; Practice Type=Office based (solo or two-person). * significant at 5%; ** significant at 1%

Source: Fall 2015 survey of physicians.

Note: OLS regression coefficients with robust standard errors in brackets. Dependent variable: 1=support (somewhat or strongly); 0=oppose (somewhat or strongly) or neither oppose nor support. Results are statistically and substantively similar when estimated using logistic regression. Omitted reference categories: Region=South; Respondent specialty=Primary Care; Income Source=Salary; Practice Type=Office based (solo or two-person). * significant at 5%; ** significant at 1%

Source: Fall 2015 survey of physicians.