Health care service use by people diagnosed with invasive melanoma in Queensland: a benefit incidence analysis

Abstract

Objective: To quantify differences, by residential remoteness and socio-economic status, in health care service use by people diagnosed with invasive melanoma in Queensland. Design: Benefit incidence analysis of CancerCostMod data, comprising Queensland Cancer Registry data linked with Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection (QHAPDC), Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data. Setting, participants: Adults (18 years or older) newly diagnosed with invasive melanoma in Queensland during 1 July 2011 – 31 June 2015 and alive three years after diagnosis. Main outcome measures: Concentration curves and indices quantifying differences by residential postcode-based remoteness (Australian Statistical Geography Standard – Remoteness Area) and socio-economic disadvantage (Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage) in hospital admissions (overall and by type) and use of MBS (overall and by type) and PBS services during the three years following diagnosis of invasive melanoma. Results: A total of 13 145 adults diagnosed with invasive melanoma during 2011–15 were alive three years after the diagnosis. Public hospital admissions were more frequent for people living in areas of greater socio-economic disadvantage (concentration index, –0.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], –0.19 to –0.12) or outside major cities (concentration index, –0.10; 95% CI, –0.13 to –0.06); private hospital admissions (concentration index, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.07–0.15) and specialist consultations (concentration index, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.07–0.10) were more frequent in areas of lesser disadvantage and in major cities (private hospital admissions: 0.10; 95% CI, 0.06–0.13; specialist services: 0.07; 95% CI, 0.06–0.09). Differences in other melanoma health care service use by residential remoteness and socio-economic disadvantage were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Variation in health care service use by Queenslanders with primary diagnoses of invasive melanoma by residential socio-economic disadvantage and remoteness were generally minor. Our analysis suggests that access to health care for people with melanoma is fairly equitable in Queensland.