Rural-Urban Differences in Access to Thoracic Surgery in the United States, 2010 to 2014

摘要

Background. Because of recent lung cancer screening recommendations and corresponding insurance coverage, it is expected that more early stage cases will be identified that require thoracic surgery. However, these services may not be equally available in all regions. Our objective is to describe the availability of thoracic surgeons by examining geographic variation, rural-urban differences, and temporal changes before and after screening recommendation and insurance coverage policy changes.