Automated delineation of cancer service areas in northeast region of the United States: A network optimization approach.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Derivation of service areas is an important methodology for evaluating healthcare variation, which can be refined to more robust, condition-specific, and empirically-based automated regions, using cancer service areas as an exemplar.

Data sources/study setting

Medicare claims (2014-2015) for the nine-state Northeast region were used to develop a ZIP-code-level origin-destination matrix for cancer services (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation). This population-based study followed a utilization-based approach to delineate cancer service areas (CSAs) to develop and test an improved methodology for small area analyses.

Data collection/extraction methods

Using the cancer service origin-destination matrix, we estimated travel time between all ZIP-code pairs, and

SUBMITTER: Wang F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7229644 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature