Health care utilization among long-term cancer survivors.

Abstract

22 Background: Survivors of adult cancer face lifetime health risks that are dependent on their cancer, cancer treatment exposures, comorbid health conditions, and lifestyle behaviors. A shared care model, including planned and formal transition of the cancer survivor from the oncologist to the primary care physician needs to be established to ensure appropriate care. Methods: As a LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center of Excellence Network member, the Survivorship Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has established an outpatient clinic at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance to meet the clinical needs of cancer survivors. Before their survivorship-focused clinic appointment, adult cancer survivors are asked to complete a comprehensive survey that includes questions on health care utilization. Results: Between August 2013 to December 2014, 142 clinic patients completed the survey. They were 70.4% female, mean age 48 years (SD 16.3, range 22-83) and 21.1% breast cancer, 30.2% leukemia/lymphoma, and 17.6% reproductive cancer survivors. Patients were a mean of 7.8 years (SD 9.5, range 0-43) from their cancer diagnosis at the time of clinic appointment. 70.4% reported receiving oncology care and 87.3% primary care within the 12 months before their survivorship visit. Forty percent reported more than 12 clinic visits in the past year in which they saw a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant compared with 6.5 clinic visits in the general population based on CDC, National Health Care Survey reference data. 41.5% had one or more visits to a hospital emergency or urgent care facility within the last year, compared with 39.4% in the CDC NHCS survey. Conclusions: Cancer survivors seen in a Survivorship Clinic utilize healthcare at a much higher rate than the general population. A shared-care model for cancer survivors, including a delineation of roles and specific points of communication, between the oncologist and the primary care physician may help address issues surrounding over-utilization. A cancer treatment summary and a survivorship care plan may be valuable tools to facilitate this shared care approach.