Effect of Medicare coverage on use of invasive colorectal cancer screening tests.
BACKGROUND
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Screening for colorectal cancer is now widely recommended but underused. Lack of insurance coverage for screening tests may be one reason patients do not undergo these procedures.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of Medicare reimbursement on utilization rates of invasive screening tests. Use of fecal occult blood testing was not studied before 1998.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective analysis of ambulatory claims data for Washington State Medicare beneficiaries in 1994, 1995, and 1998. We determined the proportion of patients undergoing diagnostic and screening flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or double-contrast barium enema in 1994, 1995, and 1998 and the proportion receiving fecal occult blood testing in 1998.


RESULTS
Use of diagnostic and screening colon tests was low in all years. Fewer than 6% of beneficiaries received any colon test, and fewer than 4% received a screening test. Although more patients underwent diagnostic testing after Medicare coverage began, use of screening tests did not significantly change (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.01 comparing 1994 and 1998 [P =.33]). Women, individuals older than 80 years, and nonwhite patients were statistically significantly less likely to be screened in all 3 years (P<.001). In 1998, fewer than 7% of patients underwent fecal occult blood testing, with men and nonwhites statistically significantly less likely to have this test (P<.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Colorectal cancer screening tests are underused in the Washington State Medicare population, and insurance coverage for these tests did not substantially affect utilization rates in the period studied.
Ko
Cynthia W
CW
Division of Gastroenterology, University of Washington, Box 356424, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. cwko@u.washington.edu
Kreuter
William
W
Baldwin
Laura-Mae
LM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014861:Washington