The value of billing data from oncology practice to supplement treatment information for cancer surveillance.

BACKGROUND: Cancer treatment information is often underreported in cancer registries due to the shift in cancer care to ambulatory settings. Incomplete treatment information for central registries limits the usefulness of these data for understanding disparities in outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the added value and validity of medical billing data to supplement treatment for incident cases within a central cancer registry.
METHODS: Billing data using standardized structure and nomenclature as submitted by all practices was evaluated using an automated software (MDoffice, MDO) process that captures and processes these data and submits the information in a standardized format. A validation of the billing reported treatment was performed using data from 3 community oncology practices.
RESULTS: The accuracy of treatment data captured was 100 percent for both chemotherapy and radiation therapy among the 313 cases validated. Chemotherapy (36 percent and 5 percent respectively for solid tumors and hematologic cancers) and radiation therapy (46 percent and 20 percent respectively for solid tumors and hematologic cancers) information was added to 738 known incident cases using billing data.
CONCLUSION: Automated reporting based on billing data from community specialty providers is likely to markedly enhance the completeness of treatment data among known cancer cases as these community providers render significant amounts of treatment for cancer patients.