About The Study: The percentage of rural patients traveling more than 60 minutes to obtain surgical care significantly increased between 2010 and 2020 for both low- and high-risk operations. Additionally, increases in median travel time for rural patients outpaced changes for nonrural patients. These findings suggest a persistent and growing disparity in travel for rural patients undergoing surgical procedures. Contributing factors likely include ongoing rural hospital closures, workforce shortages, and rural patients bypassing local facilities to obtain care elsewhere.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Cody Lendon Mullens, MD, MPH, email codymu@med.umich.edu.
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(doi:10.1001/jama.2025.0447)
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JAMA