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‘The bills that were coming in…’: out of pocket costs during relocation for specialist treatment for haematological malignancies

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper responds to the call for more research to fully understand out of pocket (OOP) costs for cancer patients by providing a detailed discussion of such costs for adult haematology patients from Queensland, Australia.

Methods

The descriptive qualitative research was based on in-depth interviews with 45 (n = 45) haematology patients from regional, rural and remote areas.

Results

The discussion itemises the OOP costs under four categories including the costs associated with travel and accommodation, the costs associated with family and friends during relocation, the costs associated with diagnosis and treatment, and the costs of parking.

Conclusions

The paper provides evidence of the categories of financial burden experienced by haematology patients who have to relocate for specialist treatment by detailing the extensive range of OOP costs. The expectation is that the itemisation of OOP cost variables will contribute to future efforts of quantification.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Mr Bill Petch, CEO, Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland (LFQ); Mrs Barbara Hartigan, Director of LFQ Support Services; Ms Maryanne Skarparis, Support Services Co-ordinator LFQ; Ms Kathryn Huntley, Support Services Co-ordinator LFQ; and Ms Nicole Rawson for their contribution to the study. The study was funded by the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Community Science, Population & Social Health Program, LO5, Level 1, Logan Campus, Griffith University, Meadowbrook, Qld, 4131, Australia

    Pam McGrath

  2. PO Box 1307, Kenmore, Qld, 4069, Australia

    Pam McGrath

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  1. Pam McGrath
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Correspondence to Pam McGrath.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author, Pam McGrath, has received research funds from the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland in the form of an Industry Grant for the conduct of the research. There is no conflict of interest with regards the topic and content of the research which was conducted independently at Griffith University with full ethical approval.

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McGrath, P. ‘The bills that were coming in…’: out of pocket costs during relocation for specialist treatment for haematological malignancies. Support Care Cancer 24, 2893–2903 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3104-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3104-7

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