Geographic variation in the utilization and choice of procedures for treating coronary artery disease in New York State. Ischaemic Heart Disease Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT).

OBJECTIVES

To examine geographical variations in rates of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in New York State, and to examine variations in the choice between these two procedures.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of data from the New York registries for CABG and angioplasty was conducted. Rates were compared for 12 different regions of the state to assess geographic variations. To assess variations in the choice of procedure, frequencies of each procedure by region were compared with expected frequencies obtained by a logistic regression model that related procedure performance to various patient risk factors.

RESULTS

There was more than a three-fold variation in age/sex adjusted CABG rates and more than a two-fold variation in age/sex adjusted angioplasty rates among regions. The regional percentages of patients undergoing CABG rather than PTCA ranged from 49% to 70%, and most of the disparity was not related to patient risk factors. Instead, the disparity was largely a result of differences in racial composition and the hospitalization rate for myocardial infarctions.

CONCLUSIONS

There is considerable regional variation in New York in the tendency to use aggressive cardiac procedures and in the choice of which procedure to use, and these differences are mostly unrelated to patient need.