Colorectal Cancer Identification Methods Among Kansas Medicare Beneficiaries, 2008–2010
ORIGINAL RESEARCH — Volume 12 — July 9, 2015
PEER REVIEWED
Kansas Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with invasive colorectal cancer (CRC) from 2008 through 2010 were split into 3 groups based on the presence of CRC test claims in the 60 days before diagnosis: had a colonoscopy (1,257 subjects), had another CRC test (76 subjects), or had no CRC tests (256). Patients with a colonoscopy were classified as diagnostic-identified (965 patients) or screening/surveillance identified (292 patients) based on an algorithm developed by Ko et al. Patients with other CRC tests were classified as diagnostic-identified (74 patients) or screening/surveillance-identified (2 patients) based on prior history of claims with CRC symptom diagnosis codes. Patients who had no CRC test were all classified as diagnostic-identified (256 patients).
Figure. Identification method classification process and results for invasive colorectal cancer (CRC), Kansas Medicare beneficiaries, 2008–2010. “Ko algorithm” refers to classification and regression tree algorithm for colonoscopy indication (diagnostic vs average-risk screening/high-risk screening/surveillance) developed by Ko et al (10).
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