178 Background: Care coordination represents deliberate efforts to harmonize and organize patient care activities. This study examined sociodemographic and clinical predictors of patient-reported care coordination among Medicare beneficiaries older than 65 with a history of cancer. Methods: This study utilized the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (SEER-CAHPS) linked data, including SEER cancer registry data, Medicare CAHPS patient experience surveys, and Medicare claims. We identified Medicare beneficiaries who completed a CAHPS survey within ten years after their most recent cancer diagnosis and reported visiting a personal doctor within six months before their survey (n = 14,646). Multivariable regression models examined associations between cancer survivor characteristics and care coordination, with higher scores indicating better coordination (scale of 0-100). Results: Residing in a rural area at time of diagnosis (1.2-points greater score than urban; p= 0.04) and reporting > 4 visits with a personal doctor within 6 months (3.0-points greater than 1-2 visits; p< 0.001) were significantly associated with higher care coordination scores. Older age ( p< 0.001) and seeing more specialists ( p= 0.006) were associated with significantly lower care coordination scores. Patients with melanoma (women: 5.2-point difference, p< 0.001; men: 2.8 points, p= 0.01) and breast cancer (women: 2.4 points; p< 0.001) also reported significantly lower care coordination scores than did men with prostate cancer (reference group). Conclusions: Adult cancer survivors who are older, have a history of breast, lung, or melanoma cancers, or see more specialists report worse care coordination. Future research should explore and address the multilevel influences that lead to worse care coordination for older adult cancer survivors.
The needs of older adult cancer survivors during COVID-19: Implications for oncology nursing
