Study Findings on Managed Care Are Outlined in Reports from First Medical Center (Economic burden of gastrointestinal malignancy among Medicare beneficiaries: A real-world cost-of-illness study): Managed Care

2026 MAR 16 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators discuss new findings in Managed Care. According to news originating from Beijing, People’s Republic of China, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Over two-thirds of gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies occur in adults aged 65 and older, yet limited evidence exists on the associated economic burden. This study aimed to assess healthcare costs among U.S.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from First Medical Center, “Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with GI malignancies. Using 2015-2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data, we conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65. We identified patients with GI malignancies via International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes and compared their annual medical costs with those without GI malignancies. A two-part model adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related factors estimated the incremental cost associated with GI malignancies. Among 51,827 beneficiaries, 567 (1.1%) had GI malignancies. Unadjusted annual medical costs were significantly higher for those with GI malignancies ($19,582.0 vs. $7,962.4, p< 0.001). After adjustment, GI malignancies were associated with an incremental annual cost of $5,008.3 (95% CI: $2,864.7-$7,151.9) per person. Medicare covered the majority of this increase, while cost differences by gender and race/ethnicity were observed particularly in out-of-pocket, outpatient, and institutional spending. GI malignancies place a significant economic burden on Medicare beneficiaries, driven mainly by outpatient and inpatient costs.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Policy and care delivery reforms are needed to reduce costs and improve equitable access.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Economic burden of gastrointestinal malignancy among Medicare beneficiaries: A real-world cost-of-illness study. Research In Social & Administrative Pharmacy, 2026. Research In Social & Administrative Pharmacy can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Research In Social & Administrative Pharmacy - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/research-in-social-and-administrative-pharmacy/)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Gang Lv, Dept. of General Surgery, First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. Additional authors for this research include Xiaomo Xiong, Jacob Jordan, Minghui Li, Jing Yuan and Z. Kevin Lu.

The publisher’s contact information for the journal Research In Social & Administrative Pharmacy is: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA.

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