BACKGROUND
While the MISSION Act for community care has increased Veteran access to specialty services, this has caused considerable fragmentation of care and financial cost to U.S. taxpayers. The VA Salt Lake City Health Care System (VA SLCHCS) referral area spans 125,000 square miles, one of the largest geographic regions in the VA health care system. Numerous VA Community- Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) have been established in central and southern Utah, eastern Nevada, and southern Idaho; however, these clinics do not currently provide specialty services.
DISCUSSION
In conjunction with the National Oncology Program’s Close to Me project team, we conducted a cost analysis to determine financial feasibility of providing low-risk oncology parenteral therapies at rural CBOCs. Based on FY22 DO Paid Claim PowerBI and Pyramid Analytics Reports, VA SLCHCS paid claims for Community Care Hematology/Oncology community services in excess of $5.7 million for 380 unique Veterans (approximately $15,060 per unique Veteran). Comparatively, Veterans received high quality oncology care through VA SLCHCS with an estimated average cost of care of $5,424 per unique Veteran. Cost of parenteral therapies was estimated via review of Community Care Paid Claims Reports for individual drug claim costs (based on Jcode), VA drug pricing data from the VA National Acquisition Center Catalog, and drug unit claims data. The unit price of VA-care and community care costs were calculated and drug cost at the VA versus non- VA was compared. By retaining or re-establishing Hematology/Oncology Veteran care within VA, we estimate cost savings of approximately $9,636 per unique Veteran.
CONCLUSIONS
By re-establishing oncology care within VA SLCHCS the facility could net a substantial cost savings while simultaneously making Veterans lives easier, reduce need for transportation to/from the main SLC VA site, decrease costs due to VA pricing contracts, lessen Veteran out-of-pocket costs, improve care coordination through use of one electronic medical record, and maintain Veteran care within VA SLCHCS. Additionally, VA SLCHCS oncology will help lead the effort to launch a system within the CBOC’s to deliver high-cost parental therapies that could benefit other medical specialties such as gastroenterology, dermatology, and rheumatology.