GENDER AND UTILIZATION OF ANCILLARY SERVICES

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether gender is associated with the use of a ncillary services in hospitalized patients. DESIGN:A retrospective stu dy of laboratory and radiology tests ordered for medical and surgical inpatients oven. 16-month and 20-month periods, respectively. Obstetri c patients were excluded. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Number of cli nical laboratory and radiology tests per admission, their associated c harges, and total charges per admission were measured. In crude analys es, women had 16.5% fewer clinical laboratory tests (p < .0001) with 1 8.8% lower associated charges (p < .0001) and 24.4% fewer radiology te sts (p < .0001) with 15.6% lower associated charges (p <.0001) than me n. Total changes for the admission were lower for women in both the cl inical laboratory study period ($16,178 vs $18,912, p < .0001) and the radiology study period ($14,621 vs $18,182, p < .0001). When adjusted for age, race, insurance status, service, diagnosis-related-group wei ght, and length of stay, these differences were smaller but persisted: women had 3.7% fewer laboratory tests performed (p < .001) with 4.8% lower associated charges (p < .001). In similarly adjusted analyses fo r radiology studies. women received 10,4% fewer radiology examinations (p < .001), with 4.1% lower associated charges (p < .01). There were no significant differences in the adjusted total charges in the labora tory group ($17,450 vs $17,655, p = .20) and only a marginally signifi cant difference in the radiology group ($16,278 vs $16,498, p = .05). When we compared ancillary utilization within the five largest diagnos is-related, groups, these differences persisted. CONCLUSIONS: Men rece ive more ancillary services than women, even after adjusting far poten tial confounders.