Johnstone Thomas, Thawanyarat Kometh, Eggert Gina R, Navarro Yelissa, Rowley Mallory A, Lane Megan, Darrach Halley, Nazerali Rahim, Morrison Shane D
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, AU/UGA Medical Partnership, Athens, GA. Electronic address: http://www.twitter.com/tonythawanyarat.
Surgery. 2023 Dec;174(6):1376-1383. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2023.09.008. Epub 2023 Oct 13.
BACKGROUND: Gender-affirming surgery is unequally distributed across the United States due to resource allocation, state-based regulations, and the availability of trained physicians. Many individuals seeking gender-affirming surgery travel vast distances to receive care. This study aims to quantify the distances that individuals travel to receive gender-affirming surgery based on procedure type and patient home-of-record location. METHODS: Patients in the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart who underwent gender-affirming surgery were identified via Current Procedural Terminology codes. Data on patient demographics, procedural care, and location of patient and provider were collected. To be included, a patient had to meet diagnostic criteria to receive gender-affirming surgery and have a recorded surgical procedure reimbursed as part of gender-affirming surgery per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines. Patients residing or receiving care outside the continental United States were excluded. Distances between the ZIP Code of each patient's home of record and the location where the gender-affirming surgery was performed were calculated via the Google Maps Distance Matrix API. Distance traveled for gender-affirming surgery by patient state and gender-affirming surgery procedure were determined. Multivariate linear regression analysis determined predictors of distance traveled for gender-affirming surgery, whereas multivariate logistic regression identified variables associated with an increased likelihood of out-of-state travel to gender-affirming surgery. RESULTS: Across 86 million longitudinal patient records, the study population included 2,743 records corresponding to 1,735 patients who received gender-affirming surgery between January 2003 and June 2020. The median distance traveled for gender-affirming surgery was 191 miles (mean: 391.5), and 36.0% of patients traveled out of their state of residence. Every patient from West Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota, Mississippi, and Delaware traveled out of state for gender-affirming surgery. Patients with homes of record in California (18.4%), Massachusetts (20.7%), and Oregon (19.0%) were the least likely to travel out-of-state for gender-affirming surgery out of states with more than 10 gender-affirming surgery encounters. The main predictors for out-of-state travel included both feminizing and masculinizing genital surgery, as well as an insurance coverage with increased provider options. Additionally, patients traveled shorter distances for gender-affirming surgery after the post-2014 Affordable Care Act expansion compared to pre-2014. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving gender-affirming surgery in the United States travel great distances for their care, often receiving their care from out-of-state providers. Restrictive guidelines imposed by state laws on both the access to and provision of gender-affirming surgery compound the myriad of common difficulties that patients face. It is imperative to discuss potential factors that may mitigate these barriers for those who require gender-affirming surgery.
背景:由于资源分配、州级法规以及训练有素的医生的可及性,性别肯定手术在美国各地的分布并不均衡。许多寻求性别肯定手术的人要长途跋涉才能获得治疗。本研究旨在根据手术类型和患者记录所在地,量化人们为接受性别肯定手术而旅行的距离。 方法:通过当前程序术语代码在Optum临床信息数据集市中识别接受性别肯定手术的患者。收集了患者人口统计学、手术护理以及患者和医疗服务提供者所在地的数据。要纳入研究,患者必须符合接受性别肯定手术的诊断标准,并且根据医疗保险和医疗补助服务中心的指南,有记录的手术程序作为性别肯定手术的一部分得到报销。居住在美国大陆以外或在国外接受治疗的患者被排除在外。通过谷歌地图距离矩阵应用程序编程接口计算每个患者记录所在地的邮政编码与进行性别肯定手术地点之间的距离。确定了按患者所在州和性别肯定手术程序划分的接受性别肯定手术所旅行的距离。多变量线性回归分析确定了性别肯定手术旅行距离 的预测因素,而多变量逻辑回归确定了与跨州前往接受性别肯定手术可能性增加相关的变量。 结果:在8600万份纵向患者记录中,研究人群包括2743份记录,对应于2003年1月至2020年6月期间接受性别肯定手术的1735名患者。性别肯定手术的中位旅行距离为191英里(平均:391.5英里),36.0%的患者跨州出行接受手术。来自西弗吉尼亚州、怀俄明州、南达科他州、密西西比州和特拉华州的每位患者都跨州接受性别肯定手术。在接受性别肯定手术超过10例的州中,记录所在地为加利福尼亚州(18.4%)、马萨诸塞州(20.7%)和俄勒冈州(19.0%)的患者跨州接受性别肯定手术的可能性最小。跨州出行的主要预测因素包括女性化和男性化生殖器手术,以及提供更多医疗服务提供者选择的保险。此外,与2014年前相比,2014年《平价医疗法案》扩大覆盖范围后,患者接受性别肯定手术的旅行距离缩短。 结论:在美国接受性别肯定手术的患者要长途跋涉才能获得治疗,通常是从州外的医疗服务提供者那里接受治疗。州法律对性别肯定手术的获取和提供施加的限制性指导方针,加剧了患者面临的众多常见困难。必须讨论可能减轻这些障碍的潜在因素,以帮助那些需要性别肯定手术的人。
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