334622
Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Costs in the US: Findings from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2008-2012
To estimate colorectal cancer (CRC) attributable cost in the United States by quantifying the direct medical cost of cancer care for CRC patients and to study the effects of CRC on direct healthcare costs.
METHODS:
We used direct medical cost data from the household component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS) of 2008 to 2012that gather healthcare utilization and expenditures for the US civilian non-institutionalized population. To estimate CRC-attributable cost, patients reporting a past CRC diagnosis were matched with non-cancer controls on age, region, poverty level, race, insurance status, and marital status. Generalized linear model (GLM) was chosen to model costs.
RESULTS:
An average of 110 persons in each year reported a prior CRC diagnosis.The mean annual direct medical cost attributable to CRC was $18,240 in 2008, $18,211 in 2009, $11,192 in 2010, $11,113 in 2011 and $13,301 in 2012. Applying the findings to SEER estimates of population-wide CRC prevalence, CRC attributable costs were $27.59 billion in 2008, $25.45 billion in 2009, $14.11 billion in 2010, $13.03 billion in 2011 and $15.08 billion in 2012, a trend consistent with the documented overall healthcare cost decline following the 2008-09 recession.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our study revealed a significant decline in annual CRC attributable cost in 2010. Our findings may be confounded by 5-plus year survivors who may no longer qualify as “cancer” patients, and by stage at diagnosis among the study sample. Localized disease is associated with a 90% 5-year survival rate. Study limitations include: a) a lack of consistent data on time since cancer diagnosis which is relevant to cancer care cost computations, and, b) lack of data on stage at diagnosis. With about 130,000 new cases each year, additional research is warranted to develop accurate cost estimates.
Learning Areas:
Biostatistics, economicsPublic health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Assess the cost of colorectal cancer care in the US
Demonstrate the trend of colorectal cancer care costs over the years
Keyword(s): Cancer, Health Care Costs
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral student at the Department of Health Services Policy and Management at Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina. I am a physician by training. I also got my master's degrees in Health Economics and Population Sciences. My current research interest includes health services research, health economics and outcomes research (HEOR). I am currently working on research projects on patient-centered cancer care, and healthcare efficiency study in Papua New Guinae.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.