Do alternative spatial healthcare access measures tell the same story?

To effectively target area and population with relatively poorer healthcare access requires information on how access to healthcare varies spatially. Considering hospitals as important components of the healthcare system, this case study of Central Missouri presents a comparison of the relatively underserved areas and population based on the results from three alternative indicators of spatial hospital access calculated at three different levels of geography. Results indicate that the alternative spatial healthcare access indicators show considerably different pictures of the relative ranking of census units, and identification of the relatively underserved areas and population. The relative ranking of census units and the identification of relatively underserved area and population are all critical indicators for policy makers when public resources are limited and distributive choices must be made.