Table 3.
Health care resource utilization and 2009 costs for treating adjuvant melanoma
| Service | n | N | Average unit cost per service per patient in USD (±SD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melanoma-related surgery among patients on IFN therapy post-surgery (n = 1525) | |||
| Surgery | 1525 | 1525 | 1046 (879.88) |
| Anesthesia | 639 | 639 | 858 (472.96) |
| Pathology | 644 | 732 | 168 (144.58) |
| Hospital care | 746 | 746 | 147 (56.59) |
| Total surgery cost | 2219 | ||
| Adjuvant IFN therapy post-surgery (n = 1525) | |||
| Office visit | 1464 | 14,637 | 67 (24.21) |
| CBC panel | 1231 | 8341 | 18 (35.39) |
| TRH stimulation | 134 | 331 | 34 (41.44) |
| Infusion administration* | 1525 | 16,219 | 255 (143.34) |
| Total IFN services cost | 374 | ||
| IFN (drug only) | 1525 | 41,372 | 814 (525.15) |
| Chemotherapy post-surgery (n = 1194) | |||
| Dacarbazine | 298 | 2218 | 146 (111.23) |
| Temozolomide | 39 | 181 | 2678 (1893.96) |
| Cisplatin | 344 | 2710 | 202 (177.63) |
| Carboplatin | 530 | 2827 | 715 (1077.94) |
| Paclitaxel | 578 | 3825 | 886 (792.76) |
Note:
*
CPT4 code used for infusion administration (96413) became effective January 1, 2006.
Abbreviations: n, number of patients; N, number of services (claims); SD, standard deviation; IFN, interferon alfa-2b; CBC, complete blood count; TRH, thyroid releasing hormone; USD, United States dollars.