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The first states began implementing the Medicaid expansion provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014. Studies have yet to address its impact on burn patients.Burn patients in geographic regions that expanded Medicaid coverage were compared to patients in regions that did not expand Medicaid before and after implementation of the ACA using bivariate statistics and a difference-in-differences model. A multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with having Medicaid insurance. The primary outcome of this study was the rate of Medicaid insurance.Of 25,331 discharges, we found greater increases in Medicaid coverage after the ACA in the Medicaid expander regions (23.4-40.2%) compared to the non-expander regions (18.5-20.1%). The difference-in-differences estimate between the expander and non-expander regions was 0.15 (95% CI: 0.11-0.18, p 0.001). Patients admitted in expander regions were more likely to be insured by Medicaid (OR 1.57 [95%CI 1.21-2.05]), as were patients of Black race (OR 1.25 [95%CI 1.19-1.32), Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.29 [95%CI 1.14-1.46]), and female sex (OR 1.59 [95%CI 1.11-2.27]). We also found a significant interaction between time period (pre-ACA/post-ACA) and expander region location (OR 2.10 [95%CI 1.67-2.62]).The Medicaid expansion provision of the ACA led to increased Medicaid coverage among burn patients which was significantly higher in areas with widespread implementation of the expansion.

The article explains why regressions of price on HHI should not be used in merger review. Both price and HHI are equilibrium outcomes determined by demand, supply, and the factors that drive them. Thus, a regression of price on the HHI does not recover a causal effect that could inform the likely competitive effects of a merger. Nonetheless, economic theory is consistent with the legal presumption that a merger is likely to have adverse competitive effects if it occurs in a concentrated market and makes that market more concentrated.

This cohort study examines associations between type of breast cancer surgery and changes in frailty status among US women aged 70 years or older with early-stage breast cancer.

Previous studies have found an association between androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and an increased risk of dementia and depression in elderly men. This association remains controversial, and little is known about the effects of ADT in younger men.To examine the association between the receipt of ADT and these outcomes in young men aged 40-64 yr presenting with nonmetastatic prostate cancer (PCa).For this observational study, we identified 9117 men aged 40-64 yr diagnosed with localized PCa between 2007 and 2014, without a pre-existing neurocognitive diagnosis, using the TRICARE military database.Kaplan-Meier curves were fitted to compare ADT versus no ADT. We also performed a subgroup analysis in patients undergoing ADT for ≥12 mo. The association between ADT and new-onset dementia or depression was evaluated using inverse-probability-of treatment-weight-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.Patients receiving ADT had a significantly higher incidence of depression (30.2 vs 15.8 per 1000 person years) and dementia (17.9 vs 7.5 per 1000 person years). The risk of developing either outcome was higher in the ADT cohort (depression: hazard ratio [HR] 2.07, p 0.001; dementia: HR 1.70, p = 0.052). Additionally, there was a dose-response relationship between the duration of ADT and either outcome.In our cohort of young men with PCa, the receipt of ADT was associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and depression. Long-term use of ADT was associated with the highest risk of neurocognitive outcomes.In this study, we looked at the risk of dementia and depression in patients65 yr of age undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer. We found that these patients had a higher risk of dementia and depression than those who did not undergo ADT.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reimburses clinicians for advance care planning (ACP) discussions with Medicare patients. The objective of the study was to examine the association of CMS-billed ACP visits with end-of-life (EOL) healthcare utilization. DESIGN: Patient-level analyses of claims for the random 20% Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) sample of decedents in 2017. To account for multiple comparisons, Bonferroni adjusted P value 1 month before death). MEASUREMENTS: Six measures of EOL healthcare utilization or intensity (inpatient admission, emergency department [ED] visit, intensive care unit [ICU] stay, and expenditures within 30 days of death, in-hospital death, and first hospice within 3 days of death). Analyses was adjusted for age, race, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index, expenditure by Dartmouth hospital referral region (high, medium, or low), and dual eligibility. RESULTS: Overall, 6.3% (14,986) of the sample had at least one billed ACP visit. After multivariable adjustment, patients with an ACP visit experienced significantly less intensive EOL care on four of six measures: hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] = .77; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .74–.79), ED visit (OR = .77; 95% CI = .75–.80), or ICU stay (OR = .78; 95% CI = .74–.81) within a month of death; and they were less likely to die in the hospital (OR = .79; 95% CI = .76–.82). There were no differences in the rate of late hospice enrollment (OR = .97; 95% CI = .92–1.01; P = .119) or mean expenditures ($242.50; 95% CI = −$103.63 to $588.61; P = .169). CONCLUSION: Billed ACP visits were relatively uncommon among Medicare FFS decedents, but their occurrence was associated with less intensive EOL utilization. Further research on the variables affecting hospice use and expenditures in the EOL period is recommended to understand the relative role of ACP.

284 Background: Randomized controlled trial data support safe omission of axillary surgery in patients >70 years old with T1N0 hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer, but utilization of axillary surgery in the U.S. remains > 80%. We sought to assess the proportion of variance in axillary surgery receipt that is attributable to surgeon-level differences vs. patient level differences, and assess the patient- and surgeon-level factors that affect axillary surgery receipt in this population. Methods: Women >70 years old with T1N0 HR+/HER2-negative breast cancer diagnosed from 2013-2015 in SEER-Medicare were linked to surgeon-level data from the American Medical Association Masterfile. Patients of low-volume surgeons (surgeons treating < 5 patients in this population over the study period) were excluded. To assess patient-and surgeon-level factors associated with axillary surgery receipt, we estimated hierarchical logistic regression models regressing receipt of axillary surgery on surgeon-specific random intercepts (null model). We then re-estimated this model including patient factors (age, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and a validated claims-based frailty index). Our final model included other surgeon-, patient-, and disease-level factors. The intracluster correlation (ICC) was used to estimate the proportion of total variance in the outcome attributable to the surgeon level. Results: Of 4,410 women included, 58.3% were >75 years old, 20.7% were frail, and 13.9% had a CCI>2; 86.1% of women underwent axillary surgery. Of 432 surgeons represented, 52.6% were female and 9.5% identified as surgical oncologists. In the null model, 10.5% of the variance in the axillary evaluation was attributable to the surgeon-level, with 89.5% attributable to patient-level differences (Table). Adjusting for key patient-level variables (age, CCI, and frailty status) reduced unexplained patient-level variance, resulting in a greater proportion of total unexplained variance attributable to the surgeon level (13%). In our final model, physician subspecialty and years in practice were non-significant, but patients of female surgeons were less likely to undergo axillary surgery (OR 0.69, 95% CI [0.51-0.95]). Conclusions: In older women with T1N0 HR+ disease, patient-level differences reassuringly account for most of the variation in receipt of axillary surgery. Drivers of residual patient-level variation may include unmeasured factors such as differences in surgeon-patient communication and patient preferences.[Table: see text]

Randomized controlled trials show that certain axillary surgical practices can be safely deescalated in older adults with early-stage breast cancer. Hospital volume is often equated with surgical quality, but it is unclear whether this includes performance of low-value surgeries. We sought to describe how utilization of two low-value axillary surgeries has varied by time and hospital volume.Women aged ≥ 70 years diagnosed with breast cancer from 2013 to 2016 were identified in the National Cancer Database. The outcomes of interest were sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in cT1N0 hormone receptor-positive cancer patients and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in cT1-2N0 patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery with ≤ 2 pathologically positive nodes. Time trends in procedure use and multivariable regression with restricted cubic splines were performed, adjusting for patient, disease, and hospital factors.Overall, 83.4% of 44,779 women eligible for omission of SLNB underwent SLNB and 20.0% of 7216 patients eligible for omission of ALND underwent ALND. SLNB rates did not change significantly over time and remained significantly different by age group (70-74 years: 93.5%; 75-79 years: 89.7%, 80-84 years: 76.7%, ≥ 85 years: 48.9%; p0.05). ALND rates decreased over the study period across all age groups included (22.5 to 16.9%, p0.001). In restricted cubic splines models, lower hospital volume was associated with higher likelihood of undergoing SLNB and ALND.ALND omission has been more widely adopted than SLNB omission in older adults, but lower hospital volume is associated with higher likelihood of both procedures. Practice-specific deimplementation strategies are needed, especially for lower-volume hospitals.

Hospital volume has been shown to be inversely correlated with surgical mortality rates in complex surgery including pancreatectomy.1, 2 Based on this, there has been a push for regionalization of complex surgical procedures to high-volume centers, with several major medical health systems pledging to adopt the policy.3, 4 However, regionalization may increase travelling times, which imposes financial burdens and time demands on patients.5 On one hand, the intended mortality benefit may be realized if patients are able and willing to travel the added distance for better outcomes. For example, many would be willing to travel for vacation and major purchases, and should therefore be even more willing to do so for their own health care. On the other hand, not all patients have the needed resources to travel, especially marginalized populations. Moreover, it is important to note that while the added travel may only equate to a single trip for the patient’s operation, it will translate to multiple trips for their family members and loved ones, including additional overnight lodging that are not covered by insurance. Additionally, the added travel time would also factor into the needed preoperative clinic, postoperative follow-up, adjuvant treatment and long-term surveillance appointments. Before this debate can be appropriately addressed, the first step is to quantitatively assess the real-world magnitude of the impact of a volume-based regionalization policy on travel times. Therefore, the aim of this study is to simulate the regionalization of pancreatectomies to quantitatively assess the impact of a proposed low-volume threshold policy on spatial access in terms of patient and family driving times. We selected pancreatectomy as the procedure of choice given that hospital volume had the most drastic impact on perioperative mortality compared to other gastrointestinal operations.2 We hypothesized that a simulated regionalization policy would significantly increase the required driving times for patients undergoing pancreatectomy and their families.

Background Emergency general surgery (EGS) encompasses high-risk patients undergoing high-risk procedures. Admission source, particularly interhospital transfer, is rarely accounted for in clinical performance benchmarking. Our goal was to assess the impact of transfer status on outcomes after EGS. Study Design This was a retrospective analysis of the American College of Surgeons NSQIP database (2005 to 2014). All inpatients that underwent 1 of 7 EGS procedures shown to represent 80% of EGS volume, complications, and mortality nationally were included. Admission source was classified as directly admitted vs transferred from an outside emergency department or an acute care facility. The primary outcomes were overall mortality, overall morbidity, and major morbidity. A 3:1 propensity score matched analysis was used to determine the association of admission source with outcomes. Subgroup analysis was performed for high- and low-risk EGS procedures. Results A total of 222,519 EGS admissions were identified, of which 15,232 (6.8%) were transfers. Mean age was 46 years and 51.4% were female. Overall mortality was 3.1% for the entire cohort and 10.8% within the transfer group. After propensity score matched analysis for 33 clinical and demographic variables, transferred patients had higher rates of overall mortality (odds ratio 1.01; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.02), higher overall morbidity (odds ratio 1.07; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.09), and major morbidity (odds ratio 1.06; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.08) compared with directly admitted patients. Conclusions After rigorous risk adjustment, interhospital transfer status has a small effect on mortality and morbidity in the EGS population. This could suggest that it is reasonable to transfer patients and that regionalization of care should be encouraged.

Objective In a recent analysis, we discovered lower mortality after open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (OAAA) in the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) database when compared with previously published reports of other national registries. Understanding differentials in these registries is essential for their utility because such datasets increasingly inform clinical guidelines and health policy. Methods The VQI, American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), and National Inpatient Sample (NIS) databases were queried to identify patients who had undergone elective OAAA between 2013 and 2016. χ2 tests were used for frequencies and analysis of variance for continuous variables. Results In total, data from 8775 patients were analyzed. Significant differences were seen across the baseline characteristics included. Additionally, the availability of patient and procedural data varied across datasets, with VQI including a number of procedure-specific variables and NIS with the most limited clinical data. Length of stay, primary insurer, and discharge destination differed significantly. Unadjusted in-hospital mortality also varied significantly between datasets: NIS, 5.5%; NSQIP, 5.2%; and VQI, 3.3%; P Conclusions There are fundamental important differences in patient demographic/comorbidity profiles, payer mix, and outcomes after OAAA across widely used national registries. This may represent differences in outcomes between institutions that elect to participate in the VQI and NSQIP compared with patient sampling in the NIS. In addition to avoiding direct comparison of information derived from these databases, it is critical these differences are considered when making policy decisions and guidelines based on these “real-world” data repositories.

12047 Background: Women >70 years old with T1N0 hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer face complex locoregional therapy decisions, as breast surgery type, and omission of axillary surgery or radiation therapy (RT), do not impact overall survival. Although frailty status and life expectancy (LE) ideally factor into therapy decisions, their impact on decision-making is unclear. We sought to identify trends in, and factors associated with locoregional therapy type by frailty and LE, and to determine if therapy type was associated with cause of death. Methods: Women >70 years old with T1N0 HR+/HER2-negative breast cancer diagnosed 2010-2015 were identified in SEER-Medicare. Stratified by validated claims-based frailty (Kim et al) and LE (Tan et al) measures, trends in therapy (lumpectomy, lumpectomy + axillary surgery, lumpectomy + RT, mastectomy, lumpectomy + axillary surgery + RT, and mastectomy + axillary surgery, with the last two combinations deemed “more intense” therapy) were analyzed. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify factors associated with therapy receipt (breast surgery type, axillary surgery, and RT) and, among the women who died in this cohort, to explore potential associations between local therapy received and cause of death. Results: Of the 16,188 women included, 21.8% were frail, 22.2% had a LE

Cancer center accreditation is designed to identify centers that provide high-quality cancer care. This also guides patients and referring physicians towards centers of excellence for specialized care. We sought to examine if cancer center accreditation was associated with improved long-term oncologic outcomes in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.Using the SEER-Medicare database, we identified patients who underwent pancreatectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma from 1996 to 2013. Hospitals were categorized into three groups: National Cancer Institute-designated (NCI-designated) centers, Commission on Cancer (CoC)-accredited centers, and "non-accredited" (NA) centers. Multilevel mixed-effects models were used to calculate adjusted examined lymph nodes, disease-specific survival (DSS), and overall survival (OS).We identified 5,118 patients who underwent pancreatectomy at 632 hospitals (41.0% NA, 49.6% CoC, 9.4% NCI). NCI-designated centers had a greater median number of lymph nodes examined compared with CoC-accredited or NA centers (14 vs. 10 vs. 11.0 nodes, respectively; p 0.001). Patients treated at NCI centers had a higher 5-year DSS compared to those treated at CoC or NA centers (31.2% vs. 23.6% vs. 23.0%, respectively; p 0.001). Finally, patients treated at NCI centers had a higher 5-year OS compared to those treated at CoC or NA centers (23.5% vs. 18.9% vs. 17.9%, respectively; p 0.001). The associations held true when adjusted analyses were performed.Patients with resected pancreatic cancer treated at NCI-designated centers were associated with improved long-term oncologic outcomes. There was no difference between CoC-accredited centers compared with NA centers. Meticulous validation of accreditation is warranted globally prior to implementation.

Trauma centers improve outcomes for young patients with serious injuries. However, most injury-related hospital admissions and deaths occur in older adults, and it is not clear whether trauma center care provides the same benefit in this population.To examine whether 30- and 365-day mortality of injured older adults is associated with the treating hospital's trauma center level.This prospective, population-based cohort study used Medicare claims data from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2016, for all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries 66 years or older with inpatient admission for traumatic injury in 2014 to 2015. Data analysis was performed from January 1 to June 31, 2021. Preinjury health was measured using 2013 claims, and outcomes were measured through 2016. The population was stratified by anatomical injury pattern. Propensity scores for level I trauma center treatment were estimated using the Abbreviated Injury Scale, age, and residential proximity to trauma center and then used to match beneficiaries from each trauma level (I, II, III, and IV/non-trauma centers) by injury type.Admitting hospital's trauma center level.Case fatality rates (CFRs) at 30 and 365 days after injury, estimated in the matched sample using multivariable, hierarchical logistic regression models.A total of 433 169 Medicare beneficiaries (mean [SD] age, 82.9 [8.3] years; 68.4% female; 91.5% White) were included in the analysis. A total of 206 275 (47.6%) were admitted to non-trauma centers and 161 492 (37.3%) to level I or II trauma centers. Patients with isolated extremity fracture had the fewest deaths (365-day CFR ranged from 16.1% [95% CI, 11.2%-22.4%] to 17.4% [95% CI, 11.8%-24.6%] by trauma center status). Patients with both hip fracture and traumatic brain injury had the most deaths (365-day CFRs ranged from 33.4% [95% CI, 25.8%-42.1%] to 35.8% [95% CI, 28.9%-43.5%]).These findings suggest that older adults do not benefit from existing trauma center care, which is designed with younger patients in mind. There is a critical need to improve trauma care practices to address common injury mechanisms and types of injury in older adults.

Background A minimum-volume policy restricting hospitals not meeting the threshold from performing complex operation may increase travel burden and decrease spatial access to operation. We aim to identify vulnerable populations that would be sensitive to an added travel burden. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of the database of the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for patients undergoing pancreatectomy from 2005 to 2014. Number of hospitals bypassed was used as a metric for travel. Patients bypassing fewer hospitals were deemed to be more sensitive to an added travel burden. Results There were 13,374 patients who underwent a pancreatectomy, of whom 2,368 (17.7%) were nonbypassers. On unadjusted analysis, patients >80 year old travelled less than their younger counterparts, bypassing a mean of 10.9 ± 9.5 hospitals compared with 14.2 ± 21.3 hospitals bypassed by the 35–49 year old age group ( P P P Conclusion In patients undergoing pancreatectomy, the elderly, racial minorities, and patients with self-pay or Medicaid payer status were associated with an increased sensitivity to an added travel burden. This vulnerable cohort may be affected disproportionately by a minimum-volume policy.

OBJECTIVE: Dementia has been associated with increased complications and mortality in orthopedics and other surgical specialties, but has received limited attention in vascular surgery. Therefore, we evaluated the association of dementia with surgical outcomes for elderly patients with Medicare who underwent a variety of open and percutaneous vascular surgery procedures. METHODS: We reviewed claims data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part A fee-for-service insurance from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2011, who underwent inpatient vascular surgery. Only the first surgery during the first admission was considered for analysis. Traditional outcomes (30- and 90-day mortality, intensive care admission, complications, length of stay) and patient-centered outcomes (discharge to home, extended skilled nursing facility [SNF] stay, time at home) were adjusted for patient and procedure characteristics using multilevel linear or logistic regression as appropriate. All analyses were performed using SAS (v9.4, SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC). RESULTS: Our study included 210,918 patients undergoing vascular surgery, of whom 27,920 carried a diagnosis of dementia. The average age of the entire cohort was 75.74 years, and 55.43% were male. Patients with dementia were older and had higher rates of comorbidities compared with patients without a dementia diagnosis. The three most common defined classes of intervention excluding miscellaneous ones were cerebrovascular, peripheral arterial, and aortic cases, which jointly accounted for 53.15% of cases. Among all cases, 56.62% were open. Emergent/urgent cases were more frequent amongst those with dementia (60.66% vs 37.93%; P < .001). After adjustment, patients with dementia had increased odds of 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.21; P < .0001) and 90-day mortality (OR, 1.63; P < .0001), extended SNF stay (OR, 3.47; P < .0001), and longer hospital length of stay (8.29 days vs 5.41 days; P < .001). They were less likely to be discharged home (OR, 0.31; P < .0001) and spent a lower fraction of time at home after discharge (63.29% vs 86.91%; P < .001). Intensive care admission and inpatient complications were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Dementia is associated with poor traditional outcomes, including increased 30- and 90-day mortality and longer hospital lengths of stay in this large national patient sample. It is also associated with worse patient-centered outcomes, including substantially lower discharge rates to home, less time spent at home after discharge, and higher rates of extended stay in a SNF. These data should be used to counsel patients facing vascular surgery to provide goal-concordant care, particularly to patients with dementia.

68 Background: Hospital volume is often equated with surgical quality. In breast surgical oncology, higher hospital volume has been associated with higher overall survival rates, but whether it is a proxy for quality with respect to low-value care remains unexplored. We thus examined the association between hospital volume and the use of three breast surgeries identified as low-value by the Choosing Wisely campaign. Methods: Patients with stage 0-III unilateral breast cancer diagnosed from 2013-2016 were identified in the National Cancer Database. The outcomes of interest were: 1) contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), 2) axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for breast conserving therapy (BCT) patients with cT1-2N0 disease and 70 years old with cT1N0 hormone receptor-positive (HR+) cancer. Multivariable regression models with restricted cubic splines were used to examine the association between annual hospital volume and outcomes of interest, after adjusting for patient-, disease-, and hospital-level risk factors. Results: Overall, 13.6% of 841,610 women with unilateral Stage I-III breast cancer underwent CPM, 9.2% of 832,205 BCT patients with clinical T1-T2N0 disease underwent ALND, and 85.7% of women >70 years of age with cT1N0 HR+ cancer underwent SLNB over the study period. In adjusted analyses that defined hospital volume by decile, patients treated in the first and tenth decile hospitals had lower odds of undergoing CPM as compared to those treated in the middle deciles (Table). BCT patients with cT1-2N0 disease treated in hospitals in the first and second decile had higher odds of undergoing an ALND than patients treated at higher volume hospitals. Hospital volume did not have an overall significant association with SLNB use in women >70 years old with cT1N0 HR+ disease. Conclusions: The relationship between hospital volume and performance of low-value breast surgeries differed for each Choosing Wisely recommendation, indicating that hospital volume is not a reliable proxy for quality with respect to low-value practices. Additional studies to identify practice-specific deimplementation strategies are needed. [Table: see text]

Importance Medicare beneficiaries with high medical needs can benefit from Advance Care Planning (ACP). Medicare reimburses clinical providers for ACP discussions, but it is unknown whether high-need beneficiaries are receiving this service. Objective To compare rates of billed ACP discussions among a cohort of high-need Medicare beneficiaries with the non-high-needs Medicare population. Design Retrospective analysis of Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) claims in 2017 comparing high-need beneficiaries (seriously ill, frail, ESRD, and disabled) with non-high need beneficiaries. Setting Nationally representative FFS Medicare 20% sample Participants Medicare beneficiaries were assigned to one of the following classifications: seriously ill (65+), frail (65+), seriously ill & frail (65+); non-high need (65+); end stage renal disease (ESRD) or disabled (

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) has replaced Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) as the most common bariatric operation. While SG constitutes ∼70% of all bariatric volume, we hypothesize that the distribution of SG versus RYGB varies widely at the level of the surgeon and that surgeon rather than patient factors are the primary driver of the procedure performed.To determine the distribution of bariatric procedures performed at the surgeon level.Population-level analysis using the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) for New York State (2004-2014).Identified surgeons performing SG and RYGB using billing codes. Logistic regression performed to determine the impact of surgeon, patient, and hospital factors on receiving a RYGB.Of the 142 surgeons who perform5 bariatric operations per year, 32 (22.5%) performed a SG in ≥95% of their bariatric cases in the year 2014. In logistic regression, diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.45; P.001) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (OR 1.36; P.001) were associated with receiving a RYGB. However, the most correlated factor was whether the surgeon had a RYGB case volume66While the percentage of SG in this cohort closely matches the national average, there is wide variation at the surgeon level with a significant proportion predominantly performing a single procedure. Surgeon factors are more strongly correlated with procedure selection compared to patient or hospital factors.

To determine travel patterns for patients undergoing gastrectomy for cancer and to identify factors associated with patient decision.Support for regionalization of complex surgery grows; however, little is known about the willingness of patients to travel for care. Furthermore, utilization of outcomes data in patients' hospital selection processes is not well understood.Analysis of the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development database from 1996 to 2009. Outcome measures included total distance traveled and rate of bypassing the nearest gastrectomy-performing hospitals. Multivariate analyses to identify predictors of bypassing local hospitals were performed.Total study population was 10,022. Majority (67.1%) of patients underwent gastrectomy at the nearest providing hospitals. Distance traveled to destination hospitals in California averaged 17.04 miles. Bypassing patients traveled approximately 16 miles beyond the nearest hospitals to receive care, selecting lower volume destination hospitals in 27.9% of cases. Annual gastrectomy volumes for nearest and for destination hospitals averaged 4.4 and 6.8 cases, respectively, and inhospital mortality rates were 5.9% and 4.8%, respectively. A few patients (19.2%) sought care at teaching hospitals. Rural county residence significantly reduced the likelihood of bypass (P0.001). High volume (7 cases) and teaching status of destination hospitals (both P0.001) were predictive of hospital bypass, though no significant association between mortality rate and bypass was identified.The majority of gastric cancer patients underwent gastrectomy at providing hospitals nearest to home, reflecting little regionalization of gastrectomy in California. Patients' hospital selection appears not to be driven by outcomes data.