Average Travel Distance
Did You Know?
• Transportation is a vital issue for access to healthcare services.
• Multiple studies cite not only the method (e.g., public transportation, or that provided by the patient or a family member), but also the distance to healthcare services, as factors which affect early access to care or emergency treatment.
• Travel time is also a source of additional physical stress.
Why Should I Care?
• There are opportunities to increase utilization of services by offering methods of transportation (e.g., taxis) or by deploying mobile services and/or telehealth.
• The foundation of Population Health Management is to deliver the right care, at the right time, at the right price, and in the right place.
• The economic burden and stress experienced by patients could be reduced through solutions that justify the cost over the long term.
What Should I Do?
• Review studies such as this to see how travel distance can present a barrier to treatment.
• Review travel distances of your patients, particularly with regard to screening services, acute on-set diseases such as malignancies, and chronic conditions.
• Use RTMD’s data to consider the impact of “clinics,” mobile services, and telehealth solutions to improve access to healthcare services and the overall health of the community you treat.
Click here to view a visualization of historical Average Travel Distance data under ICD-9-CM.