Abstract
While geographic disparities in cancer treatment are documented, little research has investigated patients’ willingness to travel longer distances for treatment at higherquality hospitals. Even fewer studies have compared metropolitan and non-metropolitan patients on this dimension. Using population-based data from the Appalachian counties of four states, we identified all hospitals within a plausible driving distance of each newly diagnosed colon cancer patient and estimated conditional logit models of hospital choices for cancer surgery. Two sets of important findings emerged. First, both metropolitan and non-metropolitan patients chose higher-quality over lower-quality hospitals, and were willing to travel farther to use high-quality facilities. Second, non-metropolitan patients were not willing to travel farther than their metropolitan counterparts to hospitals that were more desirable along most dimensions, but non-metropolitan patients were willing to travel farther to high-volume hospitals. These findings show how travel distances to high-quality hospitals contribute to geographic disparities in colon cancer treatment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 587-608 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2019 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
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Analyzing hospital choices of colon cancer patients in four states in appalachia. / Verevkina, Nina I.; Short, Pamela Farley; Yang, Tse Chuan; Matthews, Stephen Augustus; Camacho, Fabian; Anderson, Roger.
In: Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, Vol. 30, No. 2, 01.05.2019, p. 587-608.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Analyzing hospital choices of colon cancer patients in four states in appalachia
AU - Verevkina, Nina I.
AU - Short, Pamela Farley
AU - Yang, Tse Chuan
AU - Matthews, Stephen Augustus
AU - Camacho, Fabian
AU - Anderson, Roger
PY - 2019/5/1
Y1 - 2019/5/1
N2 - While geographic disparities in cancer treatment are documented, little research has investigated patients’ willingness to travel longer distances for treatment at higherquality hospitals. Even fewer studies have compared metropolitan and non-metropolitan patients on this dimension. Using population-based data from the Appalachian counties of four states, we identified all hospitals within a plausible driving distance of each newly diagnosed colon cancer patient and estimated conditional logit models of hospital choices for cancer surgery. Two sets of important findings emerged. First, both metropolitan and non-metropolitan patients chose higher-quality over lower-quality hospitals, and were willing to travel farther to use high-quality facilities. Second, non-metropolitan patients were not willing to travel farther than their metropolitan counterparts to hospitals that were more desirable along most dimensions, but non-metropolitan patients were willing to travel farther to high-volume hospitals. These findings show how travel distances to high-quality hospitals contribute to geographic disparities in colon cancer treatment.
AB - While geographic disparities in cancer treatment are documented, little research has investigated patients’ willingness to travel longer distances for treatment at higherquality hospitals. Even fewer studies have compared metropolitan and non-metropolitan patients on this dimension. Using population-based data from the Appalachian counties of four states, we identified all hospitals within a plausible driving distance of each newly diagnosed colon cancer patient and estimated conditional logit models of hospital choices for cancer surgery. Two sets of important findings emerged. First, both metropolitan and non-metropolitan patients chose higher-quality over lower-quality hospitals, and were willing to travel farther to use high-quality facilities. Second, non-metropolitan patients were not willing to travel farther than their metropolitan counterparts to hospitals that were more desirable along most dimensions, but non-metropolitan patients were willing to travel farther to high-volume hospitals. These findings show how travel distances to high-quality hospitals contribute to geographic disparities in colon cancer treatment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85066950668&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85066950668&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1353/hpu.2019.0044
DO - 10.1353/hpu.2019.0044
M3 - Article
C2 - 31130539
AN - SCOPUS:85066950668
VL - 30
SP - 587
EP - 608
JO - Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
JF - Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
SN - 1049-2089
IS - 2
ER -