Surgery wait times and specialty services for insured and uninsured breast cancer patients: does hospital safety net status matter?

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine whether safety net and non-safety net hospitals influence inpatient breast cancer care in insured and uninsured women and in white and African American women.

Data sources

Six years of Virginia Cancer Registry and Virginia Health Information discharge data were linked and supplemented with American Hospital Association data.

Study design

Hierarchical generalized linear models and linear probability regression models were used to estimate the relationship between hospital safety net status, the explanatory variables, and the days from diagnosis to mastectomy and the likelihood of breast reconstruction.

Principal findings

The time between diagnosis and surgery was longer in safety net hospitals for all patients, regardless of insurance sour

SUBMITTER: Bradley CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3419883 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature