Timely specialty palliative care for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has shown to be associated with lower health care costs (JCO Oncol Pract. 2020;16[12]:e1532-e1542. doi:10.1200/OP.20.00298).
“Our study sought to examine utilization of timely [specialty palliative care] and its association with survival and cost outcomes in patients diagnosed with metastatic [NSCLC],” wrote Jinhai Huo, PhD, MD, MSPH, Department of Health Services Research, Management and Policy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) and colleagues.
Researchers used the 2001-2015 SEER-Medicare data to determine the baseline characteristics and outcomes of patients with NSCLC. Specialty palliative care-related costs were also calculated.
The time from cancer diagnosis to the first specialty palliative care was reduced from 13.7 weeks in 2001 to 8.3 weeks in 2015 (P < .001). Health care costs associated with specialty palliative care use compared with no specialty palliative care was reduced from -$3180 in 2011 to -$1285 in 2015 (P < .059). Improved survival with outpatient specialty palliative care use was also observed.
“Patients diagnosed with metastatic NSCLC now have more timely [specialty palliative care] service utilization, which was demonstrated to be a cost-saving treatment,” concluded Dr Huo and colleagues.
“Strategies to improve outpatient palliative care use might be associated with longer survival in patients with metastatic NSCLC.”—Lisa Kuhns
