A Comparison of the Cancer Incidence Rates between the National Cancer Registry and Insurance Claims Data in Korea

Abstract

Although much health services research has been conducted using national health insurance claims data in Korea, the validity of this method has not been ascertained. The objective of this study was to validate the use of claims data for health services research by comparing incidence rate of cancers found using insurance claims data against rates of the national cancer registry of Korea. An algorithm to estimate incidence rates using claims data was developed and applied. The claims data from 2005-2008 were acquired and the patients admitted to hospitals due to cancer in 2008 without admission to hospital from 2005-2007 by the same diagnosis code were regarded as incident cases. The acquired results were compared with the values from the National Cancer Registry of Korea. The incidence rate of all cancers found using claims data was 363.1 per 100,000 people, which is very similar to the 361.9 per 100,000 rate of the national cancer registry. Also the age-, gender-and disease-specific rates between the two data sources were similar. Therefore, national health insurance claims data may be a worthwhile resource for health services research if appropriate algorithms are applied, especially considering the cost effectiveness of this method.

Overview of Cancer Registration Research in the Asian Pacific from 2008-2013

“…Korea: The incidence rate of all cancers found using claims data was 363.1 per 100,000 people, which is very similar to the 361.9 per 100,000 rate of the national cancer registry (Seo et al, 2012). On a national level, linking registry data with clinical, drug safety, financial, or drug utilization databases allows analyses of associations between utilization and outcomes (Soon et al, 2013 all combined sources and were not statistically different between the two radiation exposed non-exposed groups (Song et al, 2012).…”

Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma by age, sex, and liver disorder status: A prospective cohort study in Korea

“…), in which certified health information managers review the medical records and assign standardized diagnosis codes. The completeness of the cancer incidence data from the NHIS is comparable to that of the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, which was estimated to be 97.8% . All patients discharged from the hospital due to HCC ( International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision [ICD‐10] code C220) for the first time were considered as incident cases.…”

Comparison of overall survival between antiviral‐induced viral suppression and inactive phase chronic hepatitis B patients

“…The Korean National Health Insurance Service database has a high registration rate (96.5%) of patients with HCC, and the diagnoses are extremely accurate. It has been validated as a valid resource for research . Ascites was defined as ascites identified by imaging examinations or by paracentesis.…”