title: Resource use and cost of diagnostic workup of women with suspected breast cancer.
abstract: We estimated resource use and costs associated with a diagnostic workup for suspected breast cancer among Medicare beneficiaries. Using Medicare claims data, we found that the average cost of a diagnostic workup for suspected breast cancer--whether it eventuated in a breast cancer diagnosis or not--was $361, and did not vary by presentation (signs/symptoms or screening mammography). In the aggregate, we estimate that Medicare spends approximately $679 million annually on diagnostic workups for women with suspected breast cancer, and that false positive mammograms result in diagnostic costs of approximately $250 million.
authors.affiliation: GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wisconsin 53188, USA. david.w.lee@ge.com
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Stang
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Merle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haberman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy / Q000191:economics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000191:economics; D006278:Medicare; D014481:United States