Effect on Travel Distance of a Statewide Regionalization Policy for Initial Breast Cancer Surgery.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Reimbursement strategies to regionalize care can be effective for improving patient outcomes but may adversely affect access to care. We sought to determine the effect on travel distance for surgical treatment of a 2009 New York State (NYS) policy restricting Medicaid reimbursement for breast cancer surgery at low-volume hospitals.

Patients and methods

From a linked data set merging the NYS tumor registry with hospital discharge data, we identified women younger than 65 years with stage I-III first breast tumors from pre- and post-policy periods. We classified patients by urbanicity of their residence into four geographic areas (New York City, other large urban core, suburban/large town, and small town/rural). A multivariable difference-in-difference-in-differences m

SUBMITTER: Bickell NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11663124 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature