Economic value of a cancer case management program

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Services Research
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Cancer patient care involves complex medical needs and significant costs.
• Effective case management programs are crucial for optimizing cancer patient outcomes and resource utilization.
• Telephonic support offers a scalable approach to cancer care coordination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a telephonic cancer support program (CSP) on medical expenditures.
• To determine the effect of the CSP on hospice utilization among cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study design comparing participants and non-participants of the CSP.
• Analysis of cancer-related medical costs and hospice use using generalized linear models.
• Propensity score weighting was employed to adjust for baseline differences between groups.

Main Results:

• Cancer support program participants showed a 9.8% reduction in monthly costs for survivors and 28.2% for decedents.
• Lower inpatient costs significantly contributed to cost savings for both survivors and decedents.
• Hospice utilization increased in the last month of life for CSP participants compared to non-participants.

Conclusions:

• Self-selected enrollment in the cancer support program is linked to reduced cancer-related healthcare costs.
• The CSP demonstrates effectiveness in managing costs and influencing end-of-life care decisions.
• Oncology nurse-led telephonic case management can improve healthcare efficiency in cancer care.