Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Commercial Prices and Care for Medicare Beneficiaries With Prostate Cancer.

Maganty A, Kaufman SR, Oerline MK, Faraj K, Caram MEV, Ryan AM, Shahinian VB, Hollenbeck BK. Commercial Prices and Care for Medicare Beneficiaries With Prostate Cancer. Urology. 2025 Feb 1; 196:137-144, DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2024.11.009.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between market dynamics, in the form of commercial prices paid to urologists, and utilization of services, as measured by Medicare spending, in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. METHODS: We performed a retrospective national cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries with newly diagnosed prostate cancer between 2014 and 2019, with follow-up through 2020. The primary exposure was the commercial price index (ie, the ratio of commercial prices to Medicare prices for a common set of services performed by urologists). The primary outcome was Medicare spending for prostate cancer in the 12-month period after diagnosis. RESULTS: Across zip codes, commercial prices were, on average, 190% of Medicare prices (range 102%-421%), with mean spending per beneficiary of $16,704. There was an inverse relationship between the price index and Medicare spending for men for prostate cancer. Specifically, standardized Medicare spending was $1485 (95%CI $939 to $2030) higher per beneficiary among those managed in zip codes at the bottom decile for commercial prices compared to the top decile. This effect was similar in the subgroup of men who underwent treatment, where standardized Medicare spending was $1461 (95%CI $848 to $2073) higher per beneficiary among those managed in zip codes in the bottom decile for commercial prices compared to the top decile. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Commercial prices for a set of frequently performed services are substantial higher than those paid by Medicare and vary widely across zip codes. Higher commercial prices were associated with significantly lower utilization, as measured by standardized Medicare spending, in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.