Grant: Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI)

Costs with cancer care are rising; those who fund and organize cancer care struggle to provide patients with the latest therapies, given limited financial resources. Thus, it is important to measure these costs appropriately. Descriptive costing studies are of interest to both a clinical and policy audience; they provide an accurate estimate of the cost incurred by the health care system and can enhance the scientific credibility of economic evaluations. Our study will measure the medical costs of cancer care for patients diagnosed with prostate, breast, colorectal or lung cancer in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec and Nova Scotia. In addition, we will determine the factors that influence utilization and costs and propose future projections of the cost of cancer care. This work will be important to understand how much each province spends to care for cancer patients. From a health delivery perspective, these findings will be used to describe where our healthcare dollars (i.e., resources) are being spent. Furthermore, by comparing results from various provinces, we will be able to determine how costs are allocated, highlight any differences in patterns and quality of care, and contrast differences in healthcare access and delivery. Our results will help decision-makers on issues, such as resource allocation and planning future healthcare budgets at the provincial level, and will provide some understanding of the Canadian cancer care system efficiency/performance. Cost estimates will also be useful for researchers to conduct future cost-effectiveness analyses.