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Healthcare services expenditures among prostate cancer patients with and without mood disorders in the United States: A propensity score-matched cross-sectional study

Abstract Objectives To compare the averages of healthcare services utilization and of expenditures for men with prostate cancer with and without diagnoses of mood disorders applying propensity score matching (PSM), and to identify the potential predictors associated with increased healthcare expenditures. Design Cross-sectional study. Sample and methods A total of 308,602 weighted patients with prostate cancer were identified after applying PSM. The datasets for men with prostate cancer were extracted from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) from 2010 to 2015. For cohort formation, 1:1 PSM was applied. Healthcare utilization and expenditures analyzed included emergency room visits, length of stay for hospital inpatients, outpatient visits, office-based visits, and prescriptions. Generalized linear model with gamma distribution and log link was used to determine which covariates are associated with the increase in healthcare expenditures for each healthcare service. Findings The mean expenditures for emergency room visits between men with prostate cancer and mood disorders was $3,092.34, and it was $1,330.64 for patients without mood disorders (p = 0.038). The weighted total expenditures for emergency room visits in prostate cancer patients with mood disorders is 57% higher (p = 0.0109). Moreover, the weighted total expenditures for outpatient visits in prostate cancer patients with mood disorders is 93% higher (p = 0.0001). The potential predictor in total healthcare expenditures is perceived health status (fair/poor) (p = 0.0066). Conclusions and Implications for Psychosocial Providers or Policy Individuals with a diagnosis of mood disorders were found to have higher average healthcare expenditures in emergency room visits than those without mood disorders. Therefore, the implications of this study are to inform the patient care team that the assessment and management of mood disorders is a priority. Moreover, screening of mood- disorder symptoms should occur early to optimize care. Finally, policymakers should provide accessible care to minimize emergency room visits.