BookmarkSubscribeRSS Feed
🔒 This topic is solved and locked. Need further help from the community? Please sign in and ask a new question.
hypermonkey2
Calcite | Level 5

Hi all,

I am using PROC GLIMMIX to fit a 3-level model (clustered by hospital and then by physician, for example).

SAS automatically computes the overall covariance parameter estimate for hospital(physician).

How can I obtain the individual ones? i.e. just by hospital and just by physician? (this is asked of me to justify the use of clustering modelling techniques)

Thanks in advance!

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
SteveDenham
Jade | Level 19

The parameter for hospital should not be difficult--just adding it to the RANDOM statement should give a value.  The request for "just by physician" kind of begs the question--if the physicians are truly nested in hospital, what does this mean?  The only approach I can think of is to fit the data without hospital as a random effect. Since the fixed effects are identical, you could look at the Information Criterion of your choice (AIC, AICc, etc.) as a guide as to whether the model fits your data "better". So, I see three runs using the following RANDOM statements:

1. Just hospital

     RANDOM intercept/subject=hospital:

2. Just physician

     RANDOM intercept/subject=physician;

3. Nested

     RANDOM intercept hospital/subject=physician;

Since these are all subject-based, I would start with adaptive quadrature (METHOD=QUAD) as the estimation method.

Steve Denham

View solution in original post

6 REPLIES 6
SteveDenham
Jade | Level 19

The parameter for hospital should not be difficult--just adding it to the RANDOM statement should give a value.  The request for "just by physician" kind of begs the question--if the physicians are truly nested in hospital, what does this mean?  The only approach I can think of is to fit the data without hospital as a random effect. Since the fixed effects are identical, you could look at the Information Criterion of your choice (AIC, AICc, etc.) as a guide as to whether the model fits your data "better". So, I see three runs using the following RANDOM statements:

1. Just hospital

     RANDOM intercept/subject=hospital:

2. Just physician

     RANDOM intercept/subject=physician;

3. Nested

     RANDOM intercept hospital/subject=physician;

Since these are all subject-based, I would start with adaptive quadrature (METHOD=QUAD) as the estimation method.

Steve Denham

Damien_Mather
Lapis Lazuli | Level 10

Hi Steve. (love your work by the way)

Is it possible that some physicians are observed at more than one hospital in hypermonkey's data? In some health systems this is fairly common within a region or city, or if, for example, some specialists are hard to find.

SteveDenham
Jade | Level 19

If that is the case (physicians not truly nested), then two RANDOM statements will be needed, each with a different subject.  Ordering the RANDOM statements then becomes critical as well.  I would go with:

4. Physicians not nested

RANDOM intercept/subject=hospital;

RANDOM intercept/subject=physician;

If METHOD=MSPL is adequate (rather than adaptive quadrature), these can then be combined into a single, non-subject defined, statement:

RANDOM hospital physician;

Steve Denham

Message was edited by: Steve Denham, who can't spell this morning

hypermonkey2
Calcite | Level 5

Hi Damien,

Interesting question! Not a problem in this particular case, but definitely something to consider. Thanks!

hypermonkey2
Calcite | Level 5

Hi Steve,

This seems to be exactly what I am looking for. The estimates in case 3 (nested) will help justify why a clustering modelling approach is necessary for this analysis.

Many thanks!

SteveDenham
Jade | Level 19

I'll take a "Correct Answer" for that then Smiley Happy

Steve Denham

sas-innovate-2024.png

Join us for SAS Innovate April 16-19 at the Aria in Las Vegas. Bring the team and save big with our group pricing for a limited time only.

Pre-conference courses and tutorials are filling up fast and are always a sellout. Register today to reserve your seat.

 

Register now!

What is ANOVA?

ANOVA, or Analysis Of Variance, is used to compare the averages or means of two or more populations to better understand how they differ. Watch this tutorial for more.

Find more tutorials on the SAS Users YouTube channel.

Discussion stats
  • 6 replies
  • 1989 views
  • 11 likes
  • 3 in conversation