Disparities in spatial access to neurological care in Appalachia: a cross-sectional health services analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Appalachia is rural and socioeconomically deprived with a heavy burden of neurological disorders and poor access to healthcare providers. Rates of neurological disorders are increasing over time without equal increases in providers, indicating that Appalachian disparities are likely to worsen. Spatial access to neurological care has not been robustly explored for U.S. areas, so we aimed to examine disparities in the vulnerable Appalachian region.

Methods

Using 2022 CMS Care Compare physician data, we conducted a cross-sectional health services analysis, where we computed spatial accessibility of neurologists for all census tracts in the 13 states with Appalachian counties. We stratified access ratios by state, area deprivation, and rural-urban commuting area (RUCA

SUBMITTER: Buchalter RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9950666 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature