Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35765059›Full record

Observational studyBMC health services research2022

Use of algorithms for identifying patients in a German claims database: learnings from a lung cancer case.

Sina Neugebauer, Frank Griesinger, Sabine Dippel, Stephanie Heidenreich, Nina Gruber, Detlef Chruscz, Sebastian Lempfert, Peter Kaskel

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMC health services research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sina Neugebauer *MSD SHARP & DOHME GmbH, Levelingstrasse 4A, 81673, Munich, Germany.
Frank Griesinger *Department of Hematology and Oncology, Internal Medicine-Oncology, Pius Hospital, Medical Campus University of Oldenburg, Cancer Center Oldenburg, Georgstrasse 12, 26121, Oldenburg, Germany.
Sabine DippelOrganon GmbH, Weystrasse 20, 6006, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Stephanie HeidenreichMSD SHARP & DOHME GmbH, Levelingstrasse 4A, 81673, Munich, Germany.
Nina GruberMSD SHARP & DOHME GmbH, Levelingstrasse 4A, 81673, Munich, Germany.
Detlef ChrusczCONVEMA Versorgungsmanagement GmbH, Karl-Marx-Allee 90A, 10243, Berlin, Germany.
Sebastian LempfertHCSL Healthcare Consulting Sebastian Lempfert e.K., Bekwisch 32, 22848, Norderstedt, Germany.
Peter KaskelMSD SHARP & DOHME GmbH (former address of MSD), Lindenplatz 1, 85540, Haar, Germany. peter.kaskel@msd.de.
MSD (Germany) · DECarl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg · DE

Funding

MSD SHARP & DOHME, Haar, Germany #1659 OSTIC 2021-ms-0264
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe analysis of statutory health insurance (SHI) data is a little-used approach for understanding treatment and care as well as resource use of lung cancer (LC) patients in Germany. The aims of this observational, retrospective, longitudinal analysis of structured data were to analyze the healthcare situation of LC patients in Germany based on routine data from SHI funds, to develop an algorithm that sheds light on LC types (non-small cell / NSCLC vs. small cell / SCLC), and to gain new knowledge to improve needs-based care.

methodsAnonymized billing data of approximately four million people with SHI were analyzed regarding ICD-10 (German modification), documented medical interventions based on the outpatient SHI Uniform Assessment Standard Tariff (EBM) or the inpatient Operations and Procedure Code (OPS), and the dispensing of prescription drugs to outpatients (ATC classification). The study included patients who were members of 64 SHI funds between Jan-1st, 2015 and Dec-31st, 2016 and who received the initial diagnosis of LC in 2015 and 2016.

resultsThe analysis shows that neither the cancer type nor the cancer stage can be unambiguously described by the ICD-10 coding. Furthermore, an assignment based on the prescribed medication provides only limited information: many of the drugs are either approved for both LC types or are used off-label, making it difficult to assign them to a specific LC type. Overall, 25% of the LC patients were unambiguously identifiable as NSCLC vs SCLC based on the ICD-10 code, the drug therapy, and the billing data.

conclusionsThe current coding system appears to be of limited suitability for drawing conclusions about LC and therefore the SHI patient population. This makes it difficult to analyze the healthcare data with the aim of gathering new knowledge to improve needs-based care. The approach chosen for this study did not allow for development of a LC differentiation algorithm based on the available healthcare data. However, a better overview of patient specific needs could make it possible to modify the range of services provided by the SHI funds. From this perspective, it makes sense, in a first step, to refine the ICD-10 system to facilitate NSCLC vs. SCLC classification.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungLung NeoplasmsAlgorithmsHumansLongitudinal StudiesNational Health ProgramsRetrospective StudiesCancer classificationICD-10-GM classificationLung cancerNSCLCReal-world data (RWD)SCLC

Identifiers

PMID35765059
PMCPMC9241287
OpenAlexW4283709341

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.