Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

Dermatology Online Journal

Dermatology Online Journal bannerUC Davis

Assessment of melanoma follow-up trends in Medicare patients: a large scale, multi-regional analysis

Abstract

Background: Research on patient follow-up compliance after a diagnosis of melanoma has been limited.

Objective: To assess the timelines for follow-up among patients who are diagnosed with melanoma and to assess the socioeconomic and provider factors which influence follow-up adherence.

Methods: A retrospective, population-based study using nationally representative data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database was conducted to evaluate 10,813 patients who were diagnosed with melanoma from 2005-2013. Results: We found that 97% of the individuals with melanoma had at least one follow-up visit, with 80.5% having their first follow-up visit within the first 6 months and 88.6% having their first follow-up visit within 12 months. Patients who had a dermatologist as the diagnosing provider were significantly more likely to follow up. Additionally, patients who returned were more likely to live in a community with a higher socioeconomic status.

Limitations: Applicability of the data to a non-Medicare population and confounding variables such as co-morbid conditions are limitations.

Conclusions: The majority of patients diagnosed with melanoma follow up with a provider within one year. However, socioeconomic and provider factors play important roles in influencing patient return visits.

Main Content
For improved accessibility of PDF content, download the file to your device.
Current View