Insurance, chronic health conditions, and utilization of primary and specialty outpatient services: a Childhood Cancer Survivor Study report

Abstract

PURPOSE: Survivors of childhood cancer require life-long outpatient healthcare, which may be impacted by health insurance. This study sought to understand survivors' utilization of outpatient healthcare provider services. METHODS: The study examined cross-sectional survey data using an age-stratified sample from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study of self-reported annual use of outpatient services. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with utilization of services. RESULTS: Six hundred ninety-eight survivors were surveyed, median age 36.3 years (range 22.2-62.6), median time from diagnosis 28.8 years (range 23.1-41.7). Almost all (93%) of survivors had at least one outpatient visit during the previous year; 81.3% of these visits were with a primary care providers (PCP), 54.5% were with specialty care physicians, 30.3% were with nurse practitioner/physician's assistants (NP/PA), and 14.2% were with survivorship clinic providers. Survivors with severe to life-threatening chronic health conditions had greater odds of utilizing a specialty care physician (OR = 5.15, 95% CI 2.89-9.17) or a survivorship clinic (OR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.18-7.26) than those with no chronic health conditions. Having health insurance increased the likelihood of seeking care from NP/PA (private, OR = 2.76, 95% CI 1.37-5.58; public, OR = 2.09, 95% CI 0.85-5.11), PCP (private, OR = 7.82, 95% CI 3.80-13.10; public, OR = 7.24, 95% CI 2.75-19.05), and specialty care (private, OR = 2.96, 95% CI 1.48-5.94; public, OR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.26-6.84) compared to without insurance. CONCLUSION: Most childhood cancer survivors received outpatient care from a PCP, but a minority received care from a survivorship clinic provider. Having health insurance increased the likelihood of outpatient care. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Targeted interventions in the primary care setting may improve risk-based, survivor-focused care for this vulnerable population.