Policies Encouraging High-Volume Facilities Disadvantage Oncology Patients in Rural Areas
A new analysis published in the “JCO Oncology Practice” journal has revealed that policies encouraging high-volume medical facilities may be harming cancer patients living in rural areas. Health policy researchers at the University of Pittsburg School of Public Health discovered that cancer patients in rural Pennsylvania counties seem to be choosing to go to lower-volume health facilities closer to their homes even when they know higher-volume facilities may provide better outcomes. Rural areas often suffer from shortages of critical skills as most skilled professionals opt to move to urban areas for better pay. Rural America has a major shortage of…
