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Uncompensated costs associated with the outpatient management of cancer chemotherapy–associated febrile neutropenia
University of Illinois, Chicago, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, and Ingalls Hospital and Monroe Medical Associates, Harvey, IL
Healthcare personnel provide many uncompensated services in coordinating outpatient and home care services for patients with chemotherapy-associated febrile neutropenia. A time-and-motion study at a two-oncologist community practice was completed over a 3-month period. Time spent on various uncompensated tasks associated with the outpatient management of cancer chemotherapy-associated neutropenia and the associated estimated costs of this care were evaluated. Unit costs were based on 2003 practice-specific salary and fringe-benefit rates. Mean weekly time and cost estimates for management of chemotherapy-associated febrile neutropenia included 12.4 hours by physicians ($1,550), 4.7 hours by nurses ($108), 1.7 hours by medical assistants ($23), and 1.4 hours by phlebotomists ($27). Overall uncompensated outpatient care for management of febrile neutropenia averaged $1,708 per week, or $88,816 per year. Time-motion methodologies can be used to derive estimates of the uncompensated time required for coordination of chemotherapy-associated neutropenia management. This pilot study suggests that—for a small community oncology practice—these costs can be considerable.
| Commun Oncol 2005;2:293–296 | full text |  86 kb |