title: Health service areas for the United States.
abstract: The objectives of this report are to document methods used to identify health service areas for the United States and to describe and evaluate these areas. A health service area is defined as one or more counties that are relatively self-contained with respect to the provision of routine hospital care. Service areas that include more than one county are characterized by travel between the counties for routine hospital care.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Makuc
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haglund
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Ingram
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kleinman
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Feldman
mesh_terms: D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005843:Geography; D006761:Hospitals / Q000600:supply & distribution; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D014195:Travel; D014481:United States