Most Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer centers have catchment areas with low health and minority-related vulnerability, according to a study published Dec. 23 in JCO: Clinical Cancer Informatics.
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham used Medicare claims data to delineate service areas of cancer centers accredited by the Commission on Cancer, then analyzed for factors such as environmental justice, social vulnerability, rurality, travel time and localization.
Here are three notes on the study:
- Researchers identified 686 cancer service areas. Of those, 511 had at least one Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer center.
- While service areas of Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer centers had lower health vulnerability, and lower racial and ethnic minority-status vulnerability, there was no difference found for environmental justice or social vulnerability factors.
Service areas of Commission on Cancer-accredited cancer centers had higher localization indexes, meaning patients remained in the service area for care. - “Minority and comorbid populations may have more difficulty accessing cancer center care, further exacerbating observed variations in cancer outcomes,” the study authors wrote. “Cancer centers may address this by broadening their outreach into at-risk catchment areas.”
Read the full study here.
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