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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 12 of 12 Research Studies DisplayedDi M, Keeney T, Belanger E
Functional status and therapy for older adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in nursing homes: a population-based study.
The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of functional and cognitive impairments, and relationships between impairments and treatment in older patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) receiving nursing home (NH) care. The study found that of the eligible 649 NH patients 45% received chemoimmunotherapy; among the recipients, 47% received multi-agent, anthracycline-containing regimens. Those patients in a NH were less likely to receive chemoimmunotherapy, had higher 30-day mortality, and poorer OS compared with community-dwelling patients. NH patients with severe functional (61%) or any cognitive impairment (48%) were less likely to receive chemoimmunotherapy.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Di M, Keeney T, Belanger E .
Functional status and therapy for older adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in nursing homes: a population-based study.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2023 Jul; 71(7):2239-49. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18302..
Keywords: Elderly, Nursing Homes, Medicare, Cancer, Treatments
Medbery RL, Fernandez FG, Kosinski AS
Costs associated with lobectomy for lung cancer: an analysis merging STS and Medicare data.
Researchers sought to identify underlying case mix factors that contribute to variability of 90-day costs of lobectomy for early-stage lung cancer. Using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database, they found that lobectomy is associated with substantial variability of episode-of-care costs. Variability is driven by patient demographic and clinical factors, hospital characteristics, and the occurrence and severity of complications.
AHRQ-funded; R01 HS022279.
Citation: Medbery RL, Fernandez FG, Kosinski AS .
Costs associated with lobectomy for lung cancer: an analysis merging STS and Medicare data.
Ann Thorac Surg 2021 Jun;111(6):1781-90. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.08.073..
Keywords: Cancer: Lung Cancer, Cancer, Healthcare Costs, Surgery, Elderly, Medicare
Mian HS, Wildes TM, Fiala MA
Development of a Medicare health outcomes survey deficit-accumulation frailty index and its application to older patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics 2018; 2):1-13. doi: 10.1200/cci.18.00043.
This study’s objective was to develop a frailty index for older patients and apply it to a subset of patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The study used the Rockwood Accumulation of Deficits approach for the Medicare Health Outcomes Study (MHOS). Data from over 2 million patients without cancer older than 66 years of age from SEER-MHOS linked databases were compared to the cohort with multiple myeloma. It was found that among patients without cancer, each 10% increase in the frailty index was associated with a 40% increased risk of death. For the multiple myeloma cohort, each 10% increase in the frailty index was associated with a 16% increased risk for death. Median time for overall survival was only 26.8 months for patients considered frail, compared with 43.7 months for those who were not. This frailty index could be used a predictor of overall survival in older multiple myeloma patients.
This study’s objective was to develop a frailty index for older patients and apply it to a subset of patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The study used the Rockwood Accumulation of Deficits approach for the Medicare Health Outcomes Study (MHOS). Data from over 2 million patients without cancer older than 66 years of age from SEER-MHOS linked databases were compared to the cohort with multiple myeloma. It was found that among patients without cancer, each 10% increase in the frailty index was associated with a 40% increased risk of death. For the multiple myeloma cohort, each 10% increase in the frailty index was associated with a 16% increased risk for death. Median time for overall survival was only 26.8 months for patients considered frail, compared with 43.7 months for those who were not. This frailty index could be used a predictor of overall survival in older multiple myeloma patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Mian HS, Wildes TM, Fiala MA .
Development of a Medicare health outcomes survey deficit-accumulation frailty index and its application to older patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
JCO Clin Cancer Inform 2018;2. doi: 10.1200/cci.18.00043..
Keywords: Cancer, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Elderly, Health Status, Medicare
Mehta HB, Sura SD, Adhikari D
Adapting the Elixhauser comorbidity index for cancer patients.
This study was designed to adapt the Elixhauser comorbidity index for 4 cancer-specific populations and compare 3 versions of the Elixhauser comorbidity score with 3 versions of the Charlson comorbidity score for predicting 2-year survival with 4 types of cancer. Using data from the Texas Cancer Registry-linked Medicare data from 2005 to 2011, the researchers found that cancer-specific Elixhauser comorbidity scores performed slightly better than cancer-specific Charlson comorbidity scores. Individual Elixhauser comorbidities performed best.
AHRQ-funded; HS022134.
Citation: Mehta HB, Sura SD, Adhikari D .
Adapting the Elixhauser comorbidity index for cancer patients.
Cancer 2018 May 1;124(9):2018-25. doi: 10.1002/cncr.31269.
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Keywords: Cancer, Elderly, Medicare, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Registries
Olszewski AJ, Zullo AR, Nering CR
Use of charity financial assistance for novel oral anticancer agents.
Novel oral targeted drugs are increasingly used for cancer therapy, but their extreme cost, often exceeding $10,000 per month, poses a significant barrier for patients and insurers alike. The findings findings of this study indicate that high out-of-pocket burden for expensive novel oral anticancer drugs leads to widespread use of charity support in the United States and that a significant financial barrier disparately affects older Medicare beneficiaries.
AHRQ-funded; HS022998.
Citation: Olszewski AJ, Zullo AR, Nering CR .
Use of charity financial assistance for novel oral anticancer agents.
J Oncol Pract 2018 Apr;14(4):e221-e28. doi: 10.1200/jop.2017.027896.
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Keywords: Cancer, Elderly, Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Medication
Shih YT, Xu Y, Liu L
Rising prices of targeted oral anticancer medications and associated financial burden on Medicare beneficiaries.
This study examined trends in targeted oral anticancer medication (TOAM) prices and patient out-of-pocket (OOP) payments in Medicare Part D and estimated the actual effects on patient OOP payments of partial filling of the coverage gap by 2012. It concluded that rising TOAM prices threaten the financial relief patients have begun to experience under closure of the coverage gap in Medicare Part D.
AHRQ-funded; HS020263.
Citation: Shih YT, Xu Y, Liu L .
Rising prices of targeted oral anticancer medications and associated financial burden on Medicare beneficiaries.
J Clin Oncol 2017 Aug 1;35(22):2482-89. doi: 10.1200/jco.2017.72.3742.
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Keywords: Cancer, Medication, Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Elderly
Schuler MS, Joyce NR, Huskamp HA
Medicare beneficiaries with advanced lung cancer experience diverse patterns of care from diagnosis to death.
Using Medicare claims data for patients diagnosed with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer, the authors used latent class analysis to identify classes of people with different care patterns. The findings showed substantial heterogeneity in patterns of care for patients with advanced cancer, which should be accounted for in efforts to improve end-of-life care.
AHRQ-funded; HS022998.
Citation: Schuler MS, Joyce NR, Huskamp HA .
Medicare beneficiaries with advanced lung cancer experience diverse patterns of care from diagnosis to death.
Health Aff 2017 Jul;36(7):1193-200. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0448..
Keywords: Cancer, Cancer: Lung Cancer, Care Management, Elderly, Medicare, Palliative Care
Rocque GB, Pisu M, Jackson BE
Resource use and Medicare costs during lay navigation for geriatric patients with cancer.
This study examined the influence of lay navigation on health care spending and resource use among geriatric patients with cancer within The University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System Cancer Community Network. It found that, compared with a matched comparison group, the mean total costs declined by $781.29 more per quarter per navigated patient, for an estimated $19 million decline per year across the network.
AHRQ-funded; HS023009.
Citation: Rocque GB, Pisu M, Jackson BE .
Resource use and Medicare costs during lay navigation for geriatric patients with cancer.
JAMA Oncol 2017 Jun;3(6):817-25. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.6307.
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Keywords: Elderly, Cancer, Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Patient and Family Engagement, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Healthcare Delivery
Shen C, Zhao B, Liu L
Financial burden for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia enrolled in Medicare Part D taking targeted oral anticancer medications.
In this study, the investigators examined financial burden for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia enrolled in Medicare Part D taking targeted oral anticancer medications. The authors concluded that patients experience quick entry and exit from the coverage gap (also called the donut hole) as a result of the high price of targeted oral anticancer medications. They suggested that closing the donut hole would provide financial relief during the initial month(s) of treatment but will not completely eliminate the financial burden.
AHRQ-funded; HS020263.
Citation: Shen C, Zhao B, Liu L .
Financial burden for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia enrolled in Medicare Part D taking targeted oral anticancer medications.
J Oncol Pract 2017 Feb;13(2):e152-e62. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2016.014639..
Keywords: Cancer, Chronic Conditions, Elderly, Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Medication
Raval AD, Madhavan S, Mattes MD
Association between types of chronic conditions and cancer stage at diagnosis among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with prostate cancer.
The current retrospective observational study was conducted to examine the association between types of chronic conditions and cancer stage at diagnosis among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with prostate cancer. It found that those with none of the 3 types of chronic conditions (cardiometabolic, mental health, and respiratory) were 44 percent more likely to be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer compared to men with all 3 types of chronic conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS018622.
Citation: Raval AD, Madhavan S, Mattes MD .
Association between types of chronic conditions and cancer stage at diagnosis among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with prostate cancer.
Popul Health Manag 2016 Dec;19(6):445-53. doi: 10.1089/pop.2015.0141.
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Keywords: Cancer, Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Elderly, Medicare
Wang SY, Hall J, Pollack CE
Associations between end-of-life cancer care patterns and Medicare expenditures.
The authors examined the extent to which patterns of intensive end-of-life care explain geographic variation in end-of-life care expenditures among cancer decedents. The mean expenditure per cancer decedent in the last month of life was $10,800, with considerable variation in the percentage of decedents receiving intensive end-of-life care intervention. Regional patterns of late chemotherapy or late hospice use explained only approximately 1% of the expenditure difference, while the proportion of decedents who had ICU admissions within 30 days of death was a major driver of variation, explaining 37.6% of the expenditure difference. They concluded that promoting appropriate end-of-life care has the potential to reduce geographic variation in end-of-life care expenditures.
AHRQ-funded; HS023900.
Citation: Wang SY, Hall J, Pollack CE .
Associations between end-of-life cancer care patterns and Medicare expenditures.
J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2016 Aug;14(8):1001-8.
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Keywords: Cancer, Elderly, Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Palliative Care
Wang SY, Hall J, Pollack CE
Trends in end-of-life cancer care in the Medicare program.
The researchers sought to examine contemporary trends in end-of-life cancer care and geographic variation of end-of-life care aggressiveness among Medicare beneficiaries. They found that the proportion of beneficiaries receiving at least one potentially aggressive end-of-life intervention increased in repeated hospitalization, repeated ED visits, ICU admissions, and late hospice enrollment but declined in in-hospital death. End-of-life chemotherapy use did not change significantly over time. They concluded that despite growing focus on providing appropriate end-of-life care, there has not been an improvement in aggressive end-of-life cancer care in the Medicare program.
AHRQ-funded; HS023900.
Citation: Wang SY, Hall J, Pollack CE .
Trends in end-of-life cancer care in the Medicare program.
J Geriatr Oncol 2016 Mar;7(2):116-25. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2015.11.007.
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Keywords: Cancer, Care Management, Elderly, Medicare, Palliative Care, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Practice Patterns