Rates of elderly patients who receive recommended cancer treatments differ widely throughout Texas. However, these variances are not due to the availability of specialists or the presence of teaching hospitals, according to a new study published in BMC Health Services Research.
For the study, researchers examined data from the Texas Cancer Registry and Medicare claims from 2004 through 2007. The researchers tested for disparities in treatment rates for adults older than 65 across 22 hospital referral regions in the state. They also examined whether or not the variation in the availability of specialists was a significant determinant for treatment received.
Researchers found that while there are significant differences in adjusted treatment rates from region to region, no one region displays consistently higher or lower treatment rates than another. They also determined the local treatment supply of specialists to be a nonsignificant predictor of treatment.
"Texans are no better off in one city versus another in terms of treatment across a broad range of cancers," said Vivian Ho, PhD, the chair in health economics at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston and study co-author. "One might have expected Houston residents to receive better treatment because of MD Anderson's presence, but any beneficial effects could be offset by a large number of elderly in Houston not being treated there."
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