Pd05-12 What Is the Travel Cost of Access to Gender-Affirming Care?: A Commercial Claims Analysis

You have accessJournal of UrologyDiversity, Equity & Inclusion: Health Equity & Outcomes I (PD05)1 May 2024PD05-12 WHAT IS THE TRAVEL COST OF ACCESS TO GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE?: A COMMERCIAL CLAIMS ANALYSIS Cameron Futral, Megan Slemons, Eric Walton, Datta Patil, and Akanksha Mehta Cameron FutralCameron Futral , Megan SlemonsMegan Slemons , Eric WaltonEric Walton , Datta PatilDatta Patil , and Akanksha MehtaAkanksha Mehta View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/01.JU.0001008624.07191.ab.12AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Despite improved legislation to expand access to gender-affirming care, the distribution of gender-affirming care centers necessitates significant travel and associated costs for many patients. We sought to identify how patients' home location influenced geographic access to gender-affirming care across the United States. METHODS: Patient claims for gender-affirming medical and surgical care were identified using MarketScan Commercial Claims. Using this cohort, home metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and care state geodata were uploaded into ArcGIS software. A travel cost analysis tool was utilized to determine a straight-line distance traveled for each patient. The median distance traveled was calculated by region and gender-affirming surgery (GAS) type. RESULTS: There were 1547 patients identified between 2009 and 2022. Of those patients, 560 (36.2%) traveled out of state for care while 987 (63.8%) remained in-state for their care. The three most traveled-to states were California (n=160), New York (n=67), and Pennsylvania (n=59). The states with the highest proportion of patients receiving GAS instate were California (0.88), New York (0.82) and Arizona (0.81). The states with the lowest proportion of patients receiving GAS instate were Massachusetts (0.29), New Jersey (0.2) and Virginia (0.16) (Figure 1). States with less than 10 patients receiving care in that state were excluded from the analysis. Median miles traveled by procedure type and U.S. region are reported in Table 1. The highest median miles traveled were facial cosmetic surgery in the south (427 miles), Facial cosmetic surgery in the North Central region (362 miles), and specialized genital transmasculine surgery in the south (350 miles). CONCLUSIONS: While many patients can remain in-state for their care, others must travel considerable distances to receive GAS. These distances may be compounded by a relative lack of care centers in the south that provide GAS, leading to greater distances and a higher proportion of patients traveling outside of their home state in this region. Download PPT Source of Funding: None © 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 211Issue 5SMay 2024Page: e95 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.Metrics Author Information Cameron Futral More articles by this author Megan Slemons More articles by this author Eric Walton More articles by this author Datta Patil More articles by this author Akanksha Mehta More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...