Table 6.
Annual medical service use and patient time costs, by cancer history and age group, MEPS, 2008-2017a,b
| Age group and service type | Cancer survivors |
No cancer history |
Net time costs associated with cancer, estimate (95% CI) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % with service | Mean service use (among adults with service) | Time costs | % with service | Mean service use (among adults with service) | Time costs | ||
| Aged 18-64 y | |||||||
| Service-specific estimates | |||||||
| Emergency room visits | 17.4 | 1.6 | $21.2 | 12.5 | 1.4 | $12.7 | $8.5 ($6.6 to $10.3) |
| Ambulatory surgery | 17.9 | 1.8 | $39.8 | 9.6 | 1.6 | $14.9 | $24.9 ($21.6 to $28.3) |
| Inpatient hospitalization | 9.8 | 7.4 | $244.0 | 5.9 | 5.5 | $88.0 | $156.0 ($128.3 to $212.9) |
| Chemotherapyc | 3.2 | 8.6 | $10.8 | 0.0 | 4.1 | $0.0 | $10.8 ($8.1 to $13.5) |
| Radiationc | 1.9 | 15.8 | $6.9 | 0.1 | 8.3 | $0.1 | $6.8 ($4.6 to $9.0) |
| Office visits | 80.6 | 9.6 | $220.5 | 69.3 | 7.2 | $135.1 | $85.4 ($74.1 to $96.8) |
| Total time cost | — | — | $566.6 | — | — | $262.3 | $304.3 ($257.9 to $350.9) |
| Aged ≥65 y | |||||||
| Service-specific estimates | |||||||
| Emergency room visits | 22.1 | 1.5 | $26.1 | 19.0 | 1.5 | $21.6 | $4.5 ($2.7 to $6.3) |
| Ambulatory surgery | 34.5 | 2.3 | $80.6 | 23.5 | 2.0 | $46.8 | $33.8 ($27.4 to $40.1) |
| Inpatient hospitalization | 20.0 | 8.7 | $425.0 | 15.3 | 8.3 | $314.9 | $110.1 ($64.5 to $176.5) |
| Chemotherapyc | 4.1 | 8.9 | $10.5 | 0.1 | 11.1 | $0.1 | $10.4 ($7.7 to $13.1) |
| Radiationc | 2.7 | 17.0 | $5.9 | 0.3 | 12.3 | $0.5 | $5.4 ($3.5 to $7.3) |
| Office visits | 95.2 | 14.9 | $400.5 | 91.1 | 11.4 | $291.5 | $109.0 ($90.7 to $127.4) |
| Total time cost | — | — | $982.6 | — | — | $703.5 | $279.1 ($215.1 to $343.3) |
a
All estimates adjusted for age, sex, educational attainment, and number of comorbid conditions. CI = confidence interval; MEPS = Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
b
All time cost estimates in 2019 US dollars.
c
Information about use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy was restricted to years 2008-2012 when these data were collected separately in the MEPS.