Abstract P6-11-02: Hospitalizations and costs during Implementation of a lay navigation program for older patients with breast cancer in the deep south
Authors: Rocque GB , Kvale EA , Jackson BE , Kenzik K , Lisovicz N , Demark-Wahnefried W , Meneses KM , Taylor RA , Acemgil A , Chambless C , Li Y , Martin M , Fouad M , Pisu M , Partridge EE 
Published: May 2016

Background: Patient-centered strategies are needed to enhance the value of cancer care particularly at the end of life. Lay navigators (LN) can be trained to provide an extra layer of support for cancer patients from diagnosis through survivorship or end of life. We hypothesized that integrating LNs into the care team would reduce healthcare utilization and cost for patients with cancer, including those with breast cancer.

Methods: A prospective, observational study of Medicare claims data was conducted of beneficiaries ≥ 65 years old diagnosed with cancer after 2008 who received care within the UAB Health System Cancer Community Network (12 cancer centers of varying size located in AL, MS, TN, GA, and FL). The first breast cancer (BC) patient was enrolled in navigation in April 2013, and ∼18% of BC patients were navigated by the end of 2014. For this analysis, we report on the subset of patients with BC. The outcomes of interest were calculated per quarter from 2012-2014: (1) the proportion of patients with at least 1 hospitalization, (2) the proportion of the 492 deceased BC patients with a hospitalization in the last 30 and 14 days of life and (3) the Total costs for Medicare, excluding prescription drug costs. We used general linear models to evaluate changes in both health care utilization and cost over time, adjusting for age, sex, cancer stage, phase of care, and navigation group. Differential effects for navigated and non-navigated groups were tested with a group*time interaction. Healthcare utilization estimates are presented as Incidence Rate Ratios (IRR), and costs for Medicare as parameter estimates (β) in terms of dollar amounts.

Results: 4835 BC patients received care from 2012-2014: 622 received navigation services. 14.2 % of navigated BC patients were stage III/IV, compared to 9.33% of non-navigated patients. The proportion of hospitalizations trended downward from 7.9% in quarter 1 (Q1) 2012 to 5.7% in Q4 of 2014 (IRR 0.965, p =0.14), with similar decreases for navigated and non-navigated patients (IRR= 1.00, p &gt; 0.05). Hospitalization in the last 30 days and last 14 days of life were 49.7% and 29.3%, respectively, with no between groups difference. Costs per beneficiary per quarter decreased overall from $4,161 in Q1 2012 to $3,010 in Q4 2014 (p &lt;0.0001). In adjusted analysis, the navigated patients had an average $577 greater decline per quarter than the non-navigated patients (βNavigated=-$636; βnon-Navigated=-$59; p&lt;0.0001).

Conclusions: Medicare costs declined during implementation of a lay navigation program, with greater reductions for navigated patients than non-navigated BC patients. Overall hospitalizations also declined, yet rates remain high for breast cancer patients at the end of life. Integration of LNs should be considered by health systems aiming to transition to value-based healthcare delivery.

The project described was supported by Grant Number 1C1CMS331023 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The contents of this abstract are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any of its agencies.

Citation Format: Rocque GB, Kvale EA, Jackson BE, Kenzik K, Lisovicz N, Demark-Wahnefried W, Meneses KM, Taylor RA, Acemgil A, Chambless C, Li Y, Martin M, Fouad M, Pisu M, Partridge EE. Hospitalizations and costs during Implementation of a lay navigation program for older patients with breast cancer in the deep south. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-11-02.