Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/StevenJKatz

The objective of this report was to study the extent to which Ontario residents use physician services in the United States. The Ontario Ministry of Health provided data on out-of-country expenditures for 1987–94 and physician claims submitted to the Ministry for services provided in 1992 and 1993. Physician services provided to Ontario residents were classified into 16 broad categories of medical services, and expenditures were classified by service date, age group, and type of medical service. Conclusions were drawn about how much Ontario residents spent for physician services in the United States and the types of services that they sought.

This report compares service volume and intensity for elderly patients receiving all types of cardiovascular procedures, noninvasive tests, and diagnostic imaging in the three most populous Canadian provinces and the United States in 1992. Specific comparisons were made by type of cardiovascular service and patient age. Volume and intensity were measured directly using Medicare Relative Value Units. The report's findings provide a stimulus for further research to clarify the effects of service-use differences on access and associated health outcomes.

The goal of this report was to assess the relative volume and price of physician services in Canada and the United States through a comparative analysis of 1992 claims data from Canadian provincial ministries of health and from the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration. The study groups consisted of all the elderly in the three largest Canadian provinces and a 1 percent random sample of U.S. elderly Medicare beneficiaries. Patterns of use of physician services and procedures are described, and several possible explanations for differences between the patterns in the United States and Canada are suggested.

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