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Background: Non-White cancer survivors often report poorer health compared with Non-Hispanic Whites. Whether those disparities are changing over time is unknown. We examined changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) by race/ethnicity from 1998 to 2012 among older adults with and without cancer. Methods: Data from Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were obtained from the linkage between the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry data (SEER-MHOS). HRQOL was assessed with the SF-36/VR-12 Physical and Mental Component Scores (PCS/MCS) and 8 scales (Physical Functioning, Role-Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, Vitality, Social Functioning, Mental Health, Role-Emotional). Annual average HRQOL scores, adjusting for age at survey, gender, number of comorbidities, education, and SEER registry, were compared over time. Absolute (between-group variance; BGV) and relative (mean log deviation; MLD) indices of disparity were generated using the National Cancer Institute's health disparities calculator (HD*Calc). Joinpoint was used to test for significant changes in the slopes of the linear trend lines. Results: Racial/ethnic disparities in MCS increased in absolute and relative terms over time for those with [BGV = 15.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.2–21.6); MLD = 16.2 (95% CI, 10.5–22.1)] and without [BGV = 19.3 (95% CI, 14.9–23.8); MLD = 19.6 (95% CI, 15.2–24.0)] cancer. PCS disparities over time did not significantly change. Changes in disparities in 5 of 8 HRQOL scales were significant in those with and without cancer. Conclusions: Older adults with cancer show increasing racial/ethnic disparities in HRQOL, particularly in mental health status. Impact: Future research should evaluate trends in HRQOL and explore factors that contribute to health disparities.

6595 Background: Care experience ratings are recognized as measures of healthcare quality. Here we introduce a new, public data resource, SEER-CAHPS, which links cancer registry data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program with Medicare claims and the Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (MCAHPS) survey. Methods: The SEER-CAHPS resource includes cancer registry data from 1973-2011 (diagnosis, incidence, mortality, and sociodemographic data), Medicare CAHPS survey data from 1998-2013 (sociodemographic, health status, and care experience ratings), and Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) claims data from 2002-2013. The survey includes global ratings of overall care, personal doctor, specialist, health plan, and prescription drug plans, and composite ratings of doctor communication, care coordination, getting needed care, and getting care quickly. Data also contain survey weights to account for the Medicare CAHPS sampling design. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses are possible. Results: Currently, SEER-CAHPS includes 205,339 individuals with a history of cancer documented in SEER (FFS: 26,802 with a survey before cancer diagnosis, and 55,231 with a survey after cancer diagnosis; Medicare Advantage [MA]: 57,227 with a survey before cancer diagnosis and 71,436 with a survey after cancer diagnosis). The data resource also includes 724,965 MCAHPS respondents without cancer in SEER regions (FFS: 282,592; MA: 447,358). The data provide insights on topics including experiences of cancer patients in their last year of life; experiences of cancer survivors; and the associations of guideline-concordant follow-up care with patient experiences among cancer survivors. We will demonstrate project sample-size estimation and present instructions for submitting data access applications. Conclusions: SEER-CAHPS, a new, publicly available resource, provides population-based, cancer-specific data on patient experiences, health outcomes and healthcare utilization.

238 Background: Care experience ratings are recognized as measures of quality. We introduce a new resource, SEER-CAHPS, linking cancer registry data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program with Medicare claims and the Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey. Methods: The SEER-CAHPS data resource includes registry data from 1973-2011 (diagnosis, incidence, mortality, and sociodemographic data), Medicare CAHPS survey data from 1998-2013 (sociodemographic, health status, and care experience ratings), and Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) claims data from 2002-2013. SEER-CAHPS includes global ratings of overall care, personal doctor, specialist, health plan, and prescription drug plan and composite ratings of doctor communication, care coordination, getting needed care, and getting care quickly. The data also contain optional survey weights to account for the Medicare CAHPS sampling design. Results: Currently, SEER-CAHPS includes 205,339 individuals with a history of cancer documented in SEER (FFS: 26,802 with a survey before cancer diagnosis, and 55,231 with a survey after cancer diagnosis; Medicare Advantage [MA]: 57,227 with a survey before cancer diagnosis and 71,436 with a survey after cancer diagnosis). The database also includes 724,965 MCAHPS respondents without cancer in SEER regions (FFS: 282,592; MA: 447,358). The data provide insights on topics including experiences of cancer patients in their last year of life; experiences of cancer survivors; experiences of dually eligible (Medicare-Medicaid) cancer patients; and the associations of guideline-concordant follow-up care with patient experiences among people with colorectal cancer. We will demonstrate project sample-size estimation and present instructions for submitting data access applications. Conclusions: SEER-CAHPS provides population-based, cancer-specific data on patient experiences and associations with both health outcomes and healthcare utilization.